Fae King
by BeautyandYue
Summary: JS What if Jareth had an evil uncle? and he and Sarah were best friends?Read and Find out inside! ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everyone! Starting a new story and you can guess the plot line. But anyway read and review! I love to hear from ya! Anyway if I haven't done things the right way, like Jareth's father for instance, believe me when I say that this is my story I can do it anyway I want okay?**

* * *

Hoggle scurried around a corner of the castle; heading for the place he hated most. Hoggle walked into chambers gloomily lit and into another chamber connected to the first one, where a tall, pale skinned man stood before a table mixing two containers of pink and purple color, before pouring the weird bubbling, now gray, mixture into a goblet of juice, Hoggle assumed to be his from lunch. "Didn't yer mother tell ya not to play with yer food?" Hoggle asked tartly, looking with suspicion on the now smoking juice. The man jumped, causing the entire mixture to fall to the stone floor with a clang, black juice spilling out of the fallen goblet. The man said, "Now look Hogdork, you made me lose my experiment." He waved his black leather encased hand and made the mess disappear. He then stretched lazily, and walked into the other room, heading for the black overstuffed chair, whereupon reaching it; he dropped into it with an irritated sigh, swinging long legs over one armrest while his head dropped back onto the opposite one and looked at the ceiling. The man was about five ten, with dark brown, almost black hair, cut into feathered layers around his pale face and teased in the 80's way that was the high fashion in men that year. A thin pink scar ran horizontal with his left eye and when he closed his green eyes, the scar met from the edge of his eyelid to the start of his high cheekbones. He was dressed in a ruffled brown tunic that reached his knees, black breeches, and a pair of black, with a little bit of a heel, boots, to make him seem taller.

"The king is on his way and ya better have a good excuse for missing the ceremony this morning. He's as mad as a giant with a hurt ear…" Hoggle had followed him and now stood in front of the chair, scowling at the man before him.

The man grinned at Hoggle, and showing more teeth than necessary, he raised his gloved hands, black, sparkling magic surrounded his hands. He remarked in a sarcastic voice, "Ooo, I quiver in fear." Hoggle backed away in alarm as the man got up and the black magic stretched toward the dwarf.

"What're ya doin'? HEEELLLPPP!" Hoggle was lifted into the air by an invisible hand.

" James," came a deep commanding voice from the doorway. James looked over his shoulder at a man leaning against the doorframe. "drop him." The man came forward dressed in gray breeches, a white ruffled tunic, black boots, and a red surcoat. (He's basically the splitting image of Jareth.)

"Just right timing yer majesty." Hoggle said, face slowly turning red, from James having the dwarf turned upside down. James shrugged and dropped his hands, making Hoggle fall to the floor with a thump.

James turned around, arms wide in a mocking hug like gesture. "Why if it isn't my big brother descended from on high to mingle with the commoners."

"Angela and I did not see you at the presentation of Jareth this morning." The king crossed his arms, looking at James for an explanation.

James threw his hand against his head in mock despair. "That was today? Oh, I feel just awful!" he grabbed the drape, closed against the bright sun of the Labyrinth, and threw them open, the rusty brass rings scraping onto the equally rusty brass bar that the curtains were hung on. Hoggle covered his ears in protest. "It must have slipped my mind." James said turning back around, examining his gloved nails.

Hoggle announced, "As slippery as yer mind is, as the king's brother, ya should have been first in line!"

James leaned in making Hoggle back up once again, incase James wanted to hang him by his toes next. "Well I was first in line. Until the little faebrat was born."

The king leaned in as well. "That faebrat is my son, and your future king." He stated, green eyes met blue ones as the king forced James upright again with his intense gaze.

"Oh, I should practice my curtsy." James mocked, making a disrespectful bow, he turned back toward his workroom.

"Don't turn your back on me, James." The king warned, planting fisted hands on hips, a frown on his pale face.

James turned back around and said in a condescending tone, "Oh no, Jared. Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me."

Jared shot a beam of sparkling red magic past James ear, shattering a jar behind him. "Is that a challenge?!" Jared roared, hand encased in sparkling red magic.

James shook his finger at Jared as the king lowered his hand. "Temper, temper. I wouldn't dream of challenging you."

Hoggle muttered, "Pity why not?"

James over heard him. "Because when it comes to brains, I've the fae share. But when it comes to brute strength," he looked at the still frowning Jared. "I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the dream pool." He walked back into his workroom and closed the door.

Jared and Hoggle left James' rooms and head down the hall. "There's one in every family sire," Hoggle said in consolation, then he thought a moment, and said, "two in mine actually, and they always manage to ruin special occasions"

Jared shook his head in irritation. "What am I going to do with him?" he asked out loud in exasperation.

Hoggle answered with a smile, "He'd make a handsome wall hanging. We'd have to gag 'im course,"

"Hoggle!" Jared said in surprise at the dwarf's comment trying not to smile.

Hoggle continued on as if he had never even heard the king's exclamation. "And when he gets dirty, you can take him out and beat him." Jared threw back his head and laughed loudly all the way down the rest of the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

**So yeah this is based on the Lion King and because I like the lines in the movie those lines will be used. **

**Disclaimer:I do not own Labyrinth, only James and I also do not own Lion King or make money off of this story. I just like writing about it. **

* * *

One day, about an hour before sunrise, a young Fae boy, about seven years old, ran into his sleeping parents bedroom. "Dad, dad! Come on, let's go!" the boy tugged on the bare arm of his father.

"Son, you're awake." A woman with long blonde hair, and a bare arm, draped over her husband's bare stomach; stirred and resettled when the man placed his hand on her head, making her burrow further into the cocoon of blankets surrounding them.

The man, without opening his own mismatched eyes, spoke to the woman next to him. "Before sunrise, he's your son." The boy backed up and with a running start, charged into the bedside with a thump, making the father open his one green eye and look at his son with a sleepily raised eyebrow.

The boy placed hands on hips and glared at his father with youthful impatience. "You promised." He said crossing his arms.

The man sighed, realizing that he would get no more sleep, not if his son could help it. "Okay, okay, I'm up, I'm up." The boy bounced out of the room with a jubilant cry. The man sat up and stretched, while the woman took over his warm spot left in bed. "I see I'm loved." He remarked yawning hugely, as he placed on clothes.

The woman opened a blue eye and replied before turning over, "You made the mistake of not telling our son the proper time to wake up." The man laughed quietly and left the room in search of his hyper son.

XxXxXxXxXxX

On the highest point of the castle, father and son, king and prince, Jared and Jareth, sat side by side, almost splitting images of each other, on the castle wall. The sun was just breaking over the Labyrinth, Jareth could see the Watchtower, it was just a black bar sticking straight up in the Great Plains, its shadow stretching across the plains. A red glow was cast, Jareth could see the Goblin City just waking up, peddlers and walked about in an unhurried pace, greeting each other in the morning light. Jared placed an arm around his son's shoulders, and sweeping his other arm out, he showed Jareth the landscape before him. "Look Jareth, everything the light touches is our kingdom."

Jareth looked around awed, "Wow." He replied in a hushed tone.

"As the sun rises and sets, like a king, one day the sun will set on my time and will rise with you as the new king." Jared told him.

Jareth was awed. "And this will all be mine?" he got up and walked along the wall, looking at everything in a new light. "Anything the light touches…" he murmured to himself. He stopped. "What about that shadowy place?" he pointed at an over shadowed place that was dark and foreboding, as the sun never touched that place with its rays.

"That's beyond our borders, you must never go there." Jared told his son with a look that meant it was a command.

Jareth looked confusedly at his father. "But I thought a king could do whatever he wanted."

Jared got up and motioned for Jareth to follow him. "Yes son, but let me explain…" They walked off together, heading for the plains.

Later that morning, father and son were strolling out on the Great Goblin Plains. Hoggle raced up to the pair. "There you are sire, checking in with the morning report."

Jared sat on a large protruding rock and nodded at Hoggle. "Fire away."

Hoggle took a deep breath and began to speak rapidly as Jared tried to look serious. "Well, the buzz from the dwarfs is that the mermaids are in a bit of a spot…" Jareth quickly bored of the conversation and began practicing on his magic.

Jared looked over at Jareth as the boy tried for the umpteenth time to change at least an arm. "What are you doing son?" he whispered to Jareth.

"Magic." The boy answered. Jared looked at Hoggle and back at his son.

"Let me show you how it's done." Jared whispered back at Jareth. "Hoggle would you turn around please?" he asked the still prattling dwarf.

Hoggle nodded. "Of course yer majesty." He turned around and then began speaking again.

Jared crooked a finger at his son. Jareth came obediently over. "Now, take your hand like this…" he whispered and pointed his gloved hand at Hoggle.

"Sire, what are you doing?" Hoggle turned around.

"A magic lesson." Jared answered and Jareth began concentrating at the point of his own, ungloved, hand pointing it at Hoggle as well. A ball of white, silver glittery magic began to slowly come into view at Jareth's command.

"Ah." Hoggle turned back around and realized what Jared meant. "Magic lesson! Oh, ya can't be serious!" he spun back around but Jared twirled his finger to Hoggle and Hoggle sighed and turned back around with a "this is so humiliating…"

Jared whispered low in Jareth's ear. "Put up an invisibility shield."

Hoggle turned around. "What are ya telling 'I'm Jared?" there was no one there. "Jared? Jareth?" Suddenly a magic shot came pelting out of now where, and hit Hoggle in the behind, and exploded pelting dwarf in silver glitter. "Ack!" the dwarf fell over in surprise as Jared and Jareth came back into view. Jared roared with laughter as Jareth grinned up at his father, and lowered his pointed finger.

"That's very good now this time." Jared brought Jareth in.

Hoggle called, "Sire, rogues! In the sun plains!"

Jared scowled fiercely. "Blast them." he turned to Hoggle. "Hoggle, take Jareth home."

turning to go Jared heard Jareth complain, "Aw dad, can't I come?"

"No son." Jared stated firmly before turning into a peregrine falcon and flying off at a fast clip.

Jareth turned back toward the castle, a frown on his young face. "I never get to go anywhere."

"Ye'll be fighting them soon enough young master. One ye'll be king and ye can chase those mangy beasts from dawn until dusk." Hoggle said to him, patting the young prince awkwardly on the head.

* * *

Jareth ran into a gloomily lit room without even knocking. "Hey uncle James, guess what?" James, startled, nearly dropped the potion he was working with. Jareth bounced up and down on the balls of his feet in eager anticiaption.

James rolled his eyes at his nephew's intrusion and suantered over to a black over stuffed chair. "I despise guessing games." he drawled out, throwing himself into the chair. With his legs over one arm end while his head rest on the other.

"I just got shown the whole kingdom! and I'm going to rule it all!" Jareth burst out unable to hold it in any longer.

"Oh, goodie." James said sarcasticly, rubbing his forhead with a blue gloved hand.

Jareth popped up in front of James' chair and sat down in front of it, pulling a blue hassock to perch upon. "Uncle James? When I'm king, what'll that make you?" he asked.

James tilted his head back, eyes closed as he replied, an idea forming in his head. "A monkey's uncle."

Jareth laughed till his sides hurt. "You're so wierd." he said clutching his aching stomach.

James got up and walked back over to his potions table. "You have no idea." he muttered under his breath. "So your father showed you the whole knigdom, did he?" James asked, picking up a flask with a blue liquid and mixed a pink liquid in slowly. A white gas began to emit from the combination of the two potions.

Jareth sat down in the vacated chair and kicked his legs, encased in black boots, black breeches, and a white tunic. "Everything." he answered.

"He didn't show you what lies on the shadow lands, did he?" James asked inocently as he nochalantly placed the still smoking concoction of now green color onto the worktable.

"No, he said I couldn't go there." Jareth said glumly.

"And he's absolutely right. It's far too dangerous. Only the bravest Fae go there." JAmes said, glancing over at his shoulder at his young nephew, who's face had taken on this mesmerised look.

Jareth jumped off the chair and ran over to his uncle. "Well I'm brave, what's out there?"

JAmes shook his head. "Jareth, I can't a basilisk grave yard is no place for a young prince. oops." James covered his mouth up in shock, since he had "spilded" the secret.

Jareth's face shone in excitement. "a basilisk what? whoa."

James walked back over to the chair. "Oh, dear I've siad to much." he threw himself in the chair with a hand to his forehead in a fake swoon of dispear. Jareth came back over. James pulled Jareth into a headlock. "Promise me you'll never got to that dreadful place. Okay? I don't want anything happening to my favorite nephew."

Jareth was iching to leave so he said "Promise." He headed toward the door. then he looked back at James, "I'm your only nephew, uncle James."

James replied, making Jareth feel important that uncel JAmes was entrusting him with a sercet. "Remember, it's our little secret."

James told the now empty room after the boy left. "I know you are my only nephew, dear boy. Be careful"

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's another chapter of Fae King! **

* * *

Jareth raced down a long hallway, skidded around a corner and burst into his mother's room. Three females, who had been talking quietly over by a set of balcony doors, lifted their heads to see who was making all the fuss. "Hey Jareth." Said a small girl with dark, long hair, wearing blue breeches, tan knee high boots, and a green tunic that matched her green eyes. She was sitting patiently as her mother brushed and braided her hair.

"Hi Sarah." Jareth ran over to his mother and Sarah' s mother. "Come on Sarah, I just heard about this really cool place." Jareth said to her in a conspirators whisper.

Angela overheard him and asked, "So where is this really cool place?" Sarah's mother gave Angela a look like, good question.

"Oh, by the Watch Tower." Jareth lied, thinking fast.

Sarah looked indignantly at Jareth like he had lost his mind. "The Watch Tower? What's so great about the Watch Tower?!" she protested as her mother finished braiding her hair and tied the tied of the braid with a blue ribbon.

Jareth leaned in so Angela wouldn't hear. "I'll show you when we get there."

Sarah caught onto the meaning. "Oh. Mom? Can I go?"

Sarah's mother looked at Angela. "Hmm…I don't know what do you think Angela?"

The two children clasped their hands together, and trying to look angelic, they begged. "Please?"

Angela shrugged "It's alright with me." She answered.

"Alright!" Jareth crowed. He and Sarah raced for the door. But was stopped short by Angela's next sentence. "As long as you take Hoggle with you."

Jareth and Sarah looked at each other in dismay. "No, not Hoggle." Jareth complained.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Step lively now, the sooner we get there the sooner we can leave." Hoggle said over his shoulder at the pair a few feet behind him, and dragging.

Sarah leaned into Jareth. "So where are we really going?" she whispered so that Hoggle couldn't hear.

Jareth whispered back, "A basilisk graveyard."

"Wow!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Shhh…" Jareth quieted her, reminding her of their chaperone.

"Sorry." Sarah ducked her head. "So how're we gonna ditch the dodo?" she asked.

Jareth and Sarah bent their heads together, brainstorming. Hoggle glanced back at the two conspirators, completely ignorant of their plans for him. "Look at you two. Love blossoming across the savanna." Hoggle said waiting for the pair to catch up. "What with you two being betrothed and all."

Jareth and Sarah looked at each other mystified. "Be-what?" Jareth asked stumbling over the unknown word.

"Betrothed, intended, affianced," Hoggle said. When the light still hadn't dawned on the children he slowly said, "One day you two will be married."

Jareth and Sarah recoiled in horror. "Eww." Sarah scrunched up her face.

Jareth looked at Hoggle like he was crazy. "I can't marry her. She's my friend."

Hoggle crossed his arms. "Well sorry to bust yer bubble but only the king can make the rules."

"Well he's the future king." Sarah pointed out. Here was the chance that Jareth and Sarah had been waiting for.

"Yeah, so you have to do whatever I say." Jareth poked Hoggle. "Well in that case you're fired."

Hoggle moved out of the way. "Nice try but grow a little more lad and ya might be king someday."

Jareth grinned slyly and lunged at Hoggle, making the dwarf jump back into a mud hole, getting mud all over him.

_I'm gonna be a mighty king _

_So enemies beware!_

Jareth sang as he strode past Hoggle trying to get the mud off his clothes. Hoggle managed to get in front of Jareth with Sarah trailing behind.

_Well, I've never seen a king of beasts_

_With quite so little flair_

Jareth and Sarah raced ahead. Not even heading toward the Watch Tower anymore.

_I'm gonna be the mane event_

_Like no king was before_

_I'm brushing up on looking down_

_I'm working on my ROAR_

Jareth on roar, tried to make a giant move with his magic. It did not even phase the creature one bit.

_Thus far, a rather uninspiring thing_

Hoggle tried to catch up with the children as they ran and hid among the huge, but gentle Donphans' as they grazed in a field.

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_

Hoggle shouted in exasperation,

_(You've rather a long way to go, young master,_

_if you think...)_

_No one saying do this_

Jareth and Sarah tripped Hoggle into a water hole. Hoggle shook his finger at the pair.

_(Now when I said that, I -)_

_No one saying be there_

Sarah made faces at Hoggle behind his back and when Hoggle looked to see what Sarah was doing, Jareth started making faces.

_(What I meant was...)_

_No one saying stop that_

_(Look, what you don't realize...)_

_No one saying see here_

_(Now see here!)_

Finally Hoggle just sat down in the water as Jareth and Sarah jumped past him, splashing him even more with water.

_Free to run around all day_

_(Well, that's definitely out...)_

_Free to do it all my way!_

_I think it's time that you and I_

_Arranged a heart to heart_

Hoggle ran to catch up with Jareth and Sarah as they raced by on the fleet footed Ostramingo.

_Kings don't need advice_

_From little dwarves for a start_

Jareth taunted the panting Hoggle. Hoggle was getting slower and slower.

_If this is where the monarchy is headed_

_Count me out!_

_Out of service, out of Africa_

_I wouldn't hang about_

_This child is getting wildly out of wing_

Hoggle was caught up in the Goblin City, as they went through. Everyone bowing for the young prince, but when Hoggle came through everyone turned their backs on him.

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_

Jareth commanded everyone's attention and they gave it to him. Doing everything he gave directions how to even turn their heads.

_Everybody look left_

_Everybody look right_

_Everywhere you look I'm_

_Standing in the spotlight!_

Jareth and Sarah slipped past a traveling caravan and went right on singing. Hoggle shouted,

_Not yet!_

Hoggle stood in a crowded street, hearing Jareth singing go down another street.

_Let every creature go for broke and sing_

_Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing_

_It's gonna be King Jareth's finest fling!_

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_

_Oh, I just can't waaaaaait ... to be king!_

Jareth and Sarah raced out of the city gates, while a female giant picked up Hoggle and began dancing with him. "Excuse me ma'am but, LET GO!!" Hoggle struggled to get out of her arms with no success. "Jareth? Sarah?" But the two were gone.

_To Be Continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so I'm a little slow on updating, but I will update!**

* * *

Jareth glanced over his shoulder at the path behind them, in the Howling Forest to see if Hoggle was still behind them. "I think we lost him." Sarah giggled, cheeks flushed.

As the children traveled farther into the forest, a low ground fog rolled in, signaling that they were getting closer to the graveyard. Except the pair didn't notice, because they were to busy congratulating themselves on a job well done. Jareth puffed out his chest and strutted along the path. "I am a genius."

Sarah stopped short. "Hey, it was my idea." She said looking at Jareth a frown on her face.

"Yeah, but I pulled it off." Jareth pointed out.

Sarah rounded on him, hands clenched at her sides, glowed a sparkling emerald green. "With me!" she stated raising her shimmering hands.

Jareth raised his own, a lustrous, sparking white, in defense. "Oh yeah?" he aimed a white beam at Sarah. She ducked and hit Jareth squarely in the chest, making him fall over with a yelp. Sarah quickly sat on his waist and held his wrists at his sides with her still green hands. Jareth wriggled on the ground, unable to get up. "Ha! Pinned you!" Sarah cried, smiling.

"Ay, let me up." Jareth complained, kicking his legs. Sarah shrugged and let him up. Jareth made a great show of brushing off his breeches and tunic with his dirty hands.

As Sarah strolled away, head high, Jareth sprang up and tackled the girl. Sarah and Jareth engaged in a brief wrestling match, sending them over the lip and down to the bottom of the steep hill that they were just climbing, moments before. Sarah didn't even have to use her magic this time, and again Jareth found his face mashed into the sandy like dirt beneath him. "Hah! Pinned you again!" Sarah exclaimed, hair falling out of her carefully made braid. A sudden stillness in the air, as the children stared at each other, alerted them that they were not in the howling forest any longer. The Howling Forest is appropriately named. Many creatures in the forest that made anyone who stayed in the forest for more than an hour leave with a splitting headache.

Jareth got up and brushed off his clothes again, looking around in awe. The place was littered with bones of many sizes. Where those bones came from, Jareth did not know, and Jareth was sure that some of those bones weren't just from the skeletons of basilisks. The children walked over to a huge bone lying on the lip of the hill that they were on, and peeked over it. The sky was dark, the ground was hard packed dirt, bones of many shapes and sizes were strewn about, and a huge basilisk skull sat in the middle of it all. "Whoa." Jareth and Sarah said together, as green and mismatched eyes looked at each other and back out at the place. Jareth climbed over the bone and began walking slowly toward the skull with Sarah following close behind. Jareth stole a look around the basilisk's huge skull. A hazy fog seemed to be everywhere, making it hard to see the land, from where the children stood. "This is it. We made it." Jareth whispered to Sarah, not sure why he was whispering. They stood a little ways from the grinning skull.

"This is really creepy." Sarah said rubbing her arms. She could feel the goose bumps through the sleeves of her tunic. "I wonder if its brains are still in there." She wondered pointing at the skull.

Jareth beckoned her with a hand. "Come on. Let's go check it out."

"Hold it right there young master! Or so help me I will hang ya by yer toes over the bog of eternal stench!" an extremely harassed looking Hoggle charged toward the pair.

"Aw man." Jareth complained rolling his eyes.

"We're way beyond the boundaries of the Labyrinth." Hoggle said, looking around anxiously.

"Look, Hogbrain is scared." Jareth taunted.

"It's mister Hogbrain to you buster, and as of right now we are all in very real danger." Hoggle said jumping at every noise.

Jareth ran in the opposite direction, to stand in front of the skull. "Danger? I walk on the wild side." He strutted in front of the gapping mouth. "I laugh in the face of danger." Jareth threw his blonde head back and tried to laugh as deep as his father laughed.

A slightly hysterical laugh answered the young prince, making him jump behind the trembling dwarf as three animals came chuckling out of the mouth to circle the frightened group. "Well, well, well, Bonsai, what have we here?" a female hyena said, off to Jareth left.

"I don't know Shenzi." Bonsai answered her. "What do you think Ed?" he asked the third member of their group who drooled and laughed, in that hyena laugh of his, darkly. "That's what I thought. A trio of trespassers!" Bonsai barked at Jareth, Sarah, and Hoggle. Sarah had turned as white as a sheet.

"And quite by accident, I assure you. A simple wrong turn at the Watch tower." Hoggle said trying to usher his charges out of the way.

Shenzi jumped in front of Hoggle. "Wait, wait, I know you. You're Jared's little stooge."

Hoggle straightened up. "I, madam, am Jared's major counsel."

"And that must make you…" Bonsai trailed off, looking at the blonde boy in front of her.

"The future king." Jareth said proudly, hoping that, that would scare them off. No such luck.

"Do you know what we do to future kings who step outside their kingdom?" Shenzi asked circling around the group again.

"You can't do anything to me!" Jareth spoke up, trying to bluff his way out.

"Ah, actually they can since we are on their land." Hoggle said, trying to shut up his young charge.

"But Hoggle, I thought you said hyena rogues were nothing but mangy stupid poachers." Jareth said as Hoggle tried to shush the young prince.

"Exnay on the upidstay." Hoggle said sweating profusely.

"Who ya callin' upidstay?" Bonsai shot in, shoving his face right up to Hoggle's.

"Oh, my, my, my, look at the sun it's time to go!" Hoggle and the children backed up.

Shenzi jumped in front of the retreating group. "What's your hurry? We'd _love_ for you to stick around for dinner."

"Yeah, we could have whatever's lying around." Bonsai said.

Shenzi laughed. "Wait, make mine a cub sandwich." Ed poked at Bonsai frantically.

"What Ed?" Shenzi exasperatedly asked.

"Hey, did we order this dinner to go?" Bonsai was looking down Ed's pointed paw.

"No, why?" Shenzi asked.

"Cause there it goes!" Bonsai yelled as the trio disappeared over a huge bone.

Jareth and Sarah ran for their lives when the sick, lame jokes distracted the hyenas. They scrambled over bones and through long skeletons as the hyenas chased behind. Jareth could hear their hard breathing behind them as the hyenas closed in. Jareth and Sarah stopped to catch their breath, not hearing the hyenas any longer behind them. "I think we lost them." Sarah panted, brushing hair out of her face.

Jareth looked around. "Wait, where's Hoggle?"

* * *

The hyenas laughed hysterically as they edged Hoggle over the edge of a fissure that glowed a sickly green. "Look at the little dwarf go hippity, hop all the way to the dwarfy boiler." Bonsai taunted.

"Oh no, not the bloody boiler!" Hoggle howled falling over into the fissure. He shot up high in the air with a shout.

The hyenas fell over laughing. "Hey," said Jareth as the tree looked up at him and Sarah on the ledge above them. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size." He scolded them.

Shenzi grinned evilly. "Like you?"

Jareth skin turned a even more pale color as he realized what he had just said. "Oops."

The hyenas lunged at the children, snapping their powerful jaws at them. Jareth and Sarah jumped back with a scream of terror and ran. They hoped onto the vertebrae of a long dead basilisk and slid down it like a crazy roller coaster ride. They shot out the end and fell into a pile of bones, but the hyenas were just not giving up the chase. Jareth started climbing a hill of bones with Sarah right behind him. "Jareth!" Sarah shrieked as she began sliding back toward the hyenas, who waited at the bottom. Jareth shot a blast of white magic at Shenzi's cheek, she yelped and let go of Sarah's ankle. Sarah scrambled after Jareth as they went over the other side of the hill of bones. Shenzi turned her eyes on the vanishing children, a raw shiny burn visible on her furred face. She growled low in her throat. Jareth and Sarah turned into a tunnel with a rib cage of a dead animal at the far end of the end of the tunnel. There was no way out.

Jareth pulled Sarah onto the top of the rib cage and they jumped up and down trying to catch a handhold. The few solid fragments of the unidentifiable hide, ripped sending Jareth and Sarah to the ground beneath, now hemmed in by the rib cage bones. Jareth frantically tried to shape change into a formidable animal to success. He just wasn't old enough to change into an animal yet. "Here kitty, kitty." Bonsai taunted as the three came closer.

Jareth shot a beam of white magic at the hyenas, only to have it explode two feet in front of the attackers and shower them with glitter. The hyenas laughed. "That was it? Do it again." Shenzi sneered while Ed laughed hysterically. Jareth stepped up, putting himself between Sarah and the hyenas, fists turning white again.

A powerful roar ripped through the tunnel, stopping the hyenas in their tracks. "Huh?" they wondered together, before a huge paw knocked the three off their feet and into a wall. Hoggle scurried up to the children as they clutched at each other. They stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of them. A mighty lion with a blonde mane beat the three attackers into submission. The lion finally pushed the hyenas up on a wall. It morphed until it was Jared, who had Shenzi, Bonsai, and Ed, cutting off their air supply as he pushed them hard into the wall by his forearm. "Don't you ever come near my son again." Jared growled at them, mismatched eyes hard. Jareth shivered at the sheer power and fury that rolled off his father in waves.

The hyenas' fiend innocence. "What? Your son? This is your son? I didn't know that. Did you know that?" Bonsai hurriedly said looking at Shenzi.

She shook her head frantically. "No, of course not! Did you?" she gasped when Jared pushed on their windpipes.

"No!" he stated. "Ed?" they asked together, looking at their third partner in crime. Ed stupidly nodded his head yes, emphatically.

Jared shouted "Silence!" he dropped them on their behinds.

"Tootles." Bonsai waved and in a flash they were up and gone, running as if their lives depended on it.

Hoggle hurried up to Jared to congratulate him on a job well done, as Jared stared at the spot where the hyenas had left. Hoggle shrank back at Jared's glare as the Fae king slowly turned around at the sound of the children's steps behind him.

Jareth was ashamed. "Dad, I…"

Jared was too angry to talk in full sentences. "Deliberately disobeyed me." He said voice low. Jareth flinched and hung his head. Jared glanced at a still pale Sarah, with rips in her tunic and breeches, dirt all over her face, hair all over the place, and there were small cuts on her hands from some sharp bones. Seeing this made Jared even angrier. "Let's go home." He barked, spinning on his booted heel, he walked off with Hoggle right behind and the children following slowly.

"I thought you were very brave." Sarah whispered to the down cast Jareth.

A tall and lean shadow watched from above with gleaming green eyes at the departing group.

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

I have now realized that I have been spelling Banzai's name wrong and I already was over half down with the chapter before I realized this. And because I was to lazy to go back and change what has already been posted, Banzai's name spelling will change in this chapter but will remain the same spelling throughout the rest of the story. Sorry for not updating in almost three months but I was in my school's musical and that took up most of my time. When I was home, I was sleeping or eating, I did not have much time for anything else, much less typing up chapters. So, now that, that's done I will hopefully be updating more frequently. Thank you for being so patient with me! -BeautyandYue

The sun was just setting when the group emerged from the Howling Forest. Jared walked over to a large rock and sat down on it, staring out over the slowly darkening Sun Plains. Jareth and Sarah stopped a little ways behind the irate king. "Hoggle!" the king called out.

Hoggle scurried to Jared as fast as his little legs would carry him. "Yes, sire?" he asked plaintively.

"Take Sarah home. I've got to teach my son a lesson." Jared said, pretending not to hear the rustle of grass as Jareth tried to look small in the tall grass.

Hoggle walked back over to the group. "Come Sarah." He patted Jareth on the shoulder as he past. "Jareth, good luck."

Sarah followed meekly behind the departing dwarf; glancing behind her in sympathy at Jareth, knowing that the same thing was probably waiting for her at the castle.

"Jareth!" bellowed the king, not looking around for his son, expecting to be obeyed. Jareth got up slowly and walked as if to his death. He stumbled over a bump in the dirt. Jareth peered down in the deepening dusk and saw a boot print from his father's boot. Jareth looked from the print to his own small boot next to it. He continued until he came to a smaller rock next to his father. Jareth sat humbly down, not saying a word.

Jared sat silently, trying to figure out how to talk to Jareth. "Jareth, I'm _very_ disappointed in you."

After a few moments of silence, Jareth whispered. "I know."

Jared sighed and placed a hand over his eyes, head bowed. "You could have been killed. You deliberately disobeyed me. And what's worse, you put Sarah in danger!" Jared at last looked at his miserable son, a frown on his face.

Jareth's voice rose in pitch until it squeaked as he tried not to cry. "I was trying to be brave like _you_." He squeaked out, and sucked in much needed air.

Jared's expression softened when he saw that Jareth was truly sorry for disobeying him. He turned toward Jareth. " I'm only brave when I have to be. Jareth... being brave doesn't mean you go _looking_ for trouble."

Jareth looked at his dad, hopeful that Jared wasn't mad at him anymore. "But you're not scared of _anything._"

Jared looked out over the plain. The sun had set and the stars were just beginning to come out. "But I was today."

"You were?" Jareth was shocked.

"Mm-hmmm." Jared nodded. He leaned in until he touched foreheads with Jareth's own dirty one. "I thought I might lose you."

"Oh." Jareth was silent a few moments as he thought it out in his head. "I guess even kings can get scared, huh?" Jared nodded his head in agreement. Jareth smiled after a thought popped into his head. "But you know what?" he whispered to his father, leaning in a little.

"What?" Jared whispered back, eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I think those hyenas were even scareder." Jareth said, smile growing on his face, relieved that Jared wasn't mad at him anymore.

Jared grinned too, sneaking an arm around Jareth's back. "Cause nobody messes with your dad. Come here you." Jared locked Jareth in a headlock and proceeded to give Jareth a noogie.

Jareth wiggled helplessly. "Oh no, no... _Aaagh!_ Errrggh!" he cried breaking free. Jareth tackled his father and they tussled briefly. Jared got up and began to run away. "Oh, come here... Hah!_ Gotcha!_" Jareth called triumphantly as he brought Jared down by latching onto his back legs. They landed on the still warm grass, and rolled until Jareth and Jared stopped, to tired to move, on their backs in the sweet smelling grass, staring at the starlit sky. "…Dad?" Jareth said.

"Hmm?" Jared intoned, pulled out of his own thoughts by Jareth's young voice.

"We're pals, right?" Jareth asked, pulling himself up on his elbows to look at his father.

Jared chuckled and said, "Right."

"And we'll always be together, right?" Jareth asked. Jared sobered and sat up in the grass.

"Jareth let me tell you something that my father told me." Jared replied as Jareth got up to quickly sit beside his father. Jared placed his arms around Jareth's shoulders, and pointed at the night sky. "Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars." Jared said sweeping his free arm across the sky.

Jareth looked awed. "Really?" he said impressed.

"Yes," Jared said looking up with Jareth. "So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you…and so will I." He finished softly. He began to sing gently in a handsome tenor voice.

_Night_

_And the spirit of life calling_

Mamela 

_And a voice_

_With the fear of a child asking_

_Mamela_

_Wait_

_There's no mountain too great_

_Hear these words and have faith_

_Have faith_

Jared placed a gloved hand on his son's heart and then placed it over his own heart as he sang.

_They live in you_

_They live in me_

_They're watching over_

_Everything we see_

_In every creature_

_In every star_

_In your reflection_

_They live in you_

_They live in you_

_They live in me_

_They're watching over_

_Everything we see_

_In every creature_

_In every star_

_In your reflection_

_They live in you_

Jareth was silent as Jared finished singing and in a comfortable silence, they watched the starry sky together.

XxXxXxXxXxX

In a cave, hidden in the recessives of the Labyrinth gorge, a loud complaint could be heard within. "Man, that lousy Jared! I won't be able to sit for a week!" a man dressed in a black tunic with gray breeches, stringy dark hair, gray eyes, and no shoes on paced angrily as a slightly drooling hyena laughs at the man's misfortunes of a sore derriere. "It's not funny, Ed." The man said threateningly to the hyena. Ed tries to cover his mouth but burst out laughing anyway. "Hey, shut up!" the man whirled on the hyena. Ed could not stop laughing; in fact, he only laughed harder than before. The man snarled loudly and tackled the hyena, taking on a hyena form, it was Bonsai.

A bored female voice cut out above the snarls and yips. "Will you knock it off!" a woman with sun kissed skin, stringy blonde hair, brown eyes, dressed in a pale blue tunic and black breeches, made her way over to the still fighting pair from where she had spotted the two at the top of a ledge. She wore no shoes as well.

Bonsai sprang back but Ed continued to chew on his own leg, not realizing that the fight was over. "Well, he started it!"

"Look at you guys. No wonder we're dangling at the bottom of the food chain." The woman complained transforming into Shenzi the hyena.

Now there were several forms of Fae and there was a race of hyena Fae, where they could only transform into a hyena and nothing else, no magic, not a thing. Hyena Fae usually gave into their animal instincts, were known to be cruel, and if not watched, would strip the land of all it's resources before moving onto another land, another territory. Jared had to watch them carefully, and whenever they had a chance, they would hunt in and around the Labyrinth plains. Jared usually kept them in line and they stayed in their own land. A place where the sun did not shine and overall, a perfect place for the entire hyena rogue population, as they were apt to being called by the other Fae.

"Man, I hate dangling." Bonsai complained.

"Shyeah? You know, if it weren't for the royal family, we'd be running the joint." Shenzi said, sitting down next to a depressed Bonsai.

"Yeah. Man, I hate the royal family." Bonsai agreed.

"So pushy." Shenzi said sullenly.

"And grumpy."

"And stinky."

Banzai leaned toward Shenzi. "And man, are they…"

Shenzi leaned on Bosai as they said together, "Uuuugly!" They burst into laughter.

A cool and calculated voice floated down from above. "Oh, surely we royals are not all THAT bad."

The hyenas froze at the voice then physically relaxed. "Oh, James, it's just you." Banzai said waving a paw at the king's brother as he stepped regally to look down his nose at his followers below.

"We thought it was somebody important." Shenzi said looking up at her leader.

"Yeah, you know, like Jared." Banzai added.

"Yeah." Shenzi piped.

"I see." James replied sarcastically.

Banzai nudged Shenzi. "Now that's power."

Shenzi shivered in awe. "Tell me about it. I just hear that name and I shudder."

Banzai whispered "Jared."

Shenzi shivered. "Oooh…Do it again." She told Banzai poking at him with a paw.

"Jared."

"Ooooh."

"Jared. Jared! Jared!" Banzai said repeatedly.

Shenzi fell over in hysterical laughter. "Ooooh, it tingles me!" she exclaimed.

James rubbed his head tiredly. "I'm surrounded by idiots." He said to no one in particular.

Banzai quickly said, "Not you, James; I mean, you're one of us. I mean, you're our pal."

James bowed low mockingly. "Charmed." He replied sarcastically.

Shenzi said to the others, "Ohh, I like that. He's not king, but he's still so proper."

Banzai agreed but his mind was elsewhere. "Yeah. Hey, hey. Did ya bring us anything to eat, James, old buddy, old pal? Huh? Did-ya-did-ya-did-ya?"

James rolled his eyes and held out a hunch of unidentifiable meat. "I don't really think you deserve this." All three hyenas sat up and begged. "I practically gift-wrapped those cubs for you." He dropped the meat in front of the animals. They dove in, eating with gusto. "And you couldn't even dispose of them."

Shenzi pulled her head up, chewing with a mouthful food, she replied, "Well, ya know. It wasn't exactly like they was alone, James." Shenzi went back to her meal.

Banzai popped his head up next. "Yeah. What are we supposed to do," he swallowed what he had in his mouth. "Kill Jared?"

James grinned, eyes malicious. "Precisely." The three hyenas paused cleaning up the bone from their meal to look questioningly at James. They shrug and go back to eating. James looked down on the hyenas then at the crowd that was gathering around him on the ledges above. He said quietly to himself.

_I never thought hyenas essential._

_They're crude and unspeakably plain._

_But maybe they've a glimmer of potential_

_If allied to my vision and brain._

James leaped over the ledge to land in front of the hyenas. Banzai and Shenzi scattered but Ed stayed, chewing on the bone. He walked through sheets of flame and gases to circle Ed slowly.

_I know that your powers of retention_

_Are as wet as a warthog's backside_

_But thick as you are, pay attention!_

James angrily swats the bone away; Ed snaps to attention.

_My words are a matter of pride_

It's clear from your vacant expressions 

_The lights are not all on upstairs_

James waved his hand in front of Ed's blank eyes to make his point and Ed's tongue lolls out. Shenzi and Banzai chuckled behind James. He suddenly turned and leaped at them.

_But we're talking kings and successions_

_Even you can't be caught unawares_

He landed on the ledge that they were on. Startled, they fell backward into a pair of geysers. The geysers erupted throwing the pair into the air with a surprised yell. James strutted theatrically along the ledge, which ran back to the floor.

So prepare for a chance of a lifetime 

_Be prepared for sensational news_

_A shining new era_

_Is tiptoeing nearer_

Shenzi hesitantly peeked out from behind a rocky wall. "So where do we feature?" she asked.

James grabbed her furry cheek, told her, "Just listen to teacher.", and let go. Shenzi rubbed her, now red, abused cheek. James spotted Ed back at his bone an placing his hand on the ledge, Ed and the other two hyenas were on, vaulted onto the ridge.

_I know it sounds sordid_

_But you'll be rewarded_

When at last I am given my dues 

_And injustice deliciously squared_

James came up behind the unsuspecting hyenas and blasted them, with a sickly green magic flash, into a pile of bones at the bottom of the cave.

Be prepared! 

The three hyenas submerged, each with a different animal skull on their head. "Yeah, Be prepared. Yeah-heh…we'll be prepared, heh…For what?" Banzai asked as they moved out of the pile to the cave floor, looking up at James as he stood above them on a high rocky pedestal.

James replied, "For the death of the king."

Banzai looked puzzled. "Why? Is he sick?"

James grabbed Banzai by the throat with his magic. "No, fool. We're going to kill him, Jareth too." He dropped Banzai back onto the floor; Banzai's animal skull shattered.

Shenzi was excited as she shook off her skull "hat" "Great idea! Who needs a king?" Banzai and Shenzi danced around Ed, who sat in the middle, "No king! No king! La-la-la-la-laa-laa!" they sang together.

James glared at them as he threw his head back. "Idiots! There will be a king!"

Banzai protested. "But you said…uh."

"I will be king! …Stick with me," James gave them a toothy grin, "and you'll never go hungry again!" James shouted, raising his arms and sent bolts of pale green magic shooting up into the open air to the cave roof, creating a large hole. In the magic's light, hordes of hyena rogues, in their human forms were revealed in the deep shadows from the ledges from which they sat and watched James.

Shenzi and Banzai shouted together, "Yaay! All right! Long live the king!"

The rest of the hyena rogues chimed in. "Long live the king! Long live the king!" James bowed to the populace. The hyena rogues marched across the cave floor, in nazi style quadrangle, changing into hyenas as they crossed in front of James as he stood on a rocky point.

_It's great that we'll soon be connected._

_With a king who'll be all-time adored._

James nodded regally at them.

_Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected_

_To take certain duties on board_

James slid his index finger across his neck.

_The future is littered with prizes_

_And though I'm the main addressee_

_The point that I must emphasize is_

James leaped at a hapless hyena, making the hyena slip and fall down a fiery crevice, which started to open.

_You won't get a sniff without me!_

James poured more magic out into the cave. The cave floor split open as rocky pillars thrust it's way up into the night sky. Many hyenas jumped on these points as they danced in wild abandon, drunk on James' power surge.

_So prepare for the coup of the century_

_(Oooh!)_

_Be prepared for the murkiest scam_

_(Oooh... La! La! La!) rear ends punctuating_

James leapt onto the rock pillar that was raising the fastest and would soon be higher than the rest of the rocky columns, shooting through the large hole in the cave.

_Meticulous planning_

_(We'll have food!)_

_Tenacity spanning_

_(Lots of food)_

_Decades of denial_

_(We repeat)_

_Is simply why I'll_

_(Endless meat)_

_Be king undisputed_

_(Aaaaaaah...)_

_Respected, saluted_

_(...aaaaaaah...)_

_And seen for the wonder I am_

_(...aaaaaaah!)_

James threw back his head to punctuate his kingliness.

_Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared_

_(Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo)_

_Be prepared!_

The rest of the group all sang together as James sent violent blasts of power into the sky.

_Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared_

_Be prepared!_

James and the hyenas laughed in evil delight at the wicked plan James had concocted; while said victims slept untroubled in their beds, in the castle, unaware of the anguish that was to befall them.

To Be Continued… 


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's another installment of the story! Here I am sitting at home nursing a cold and thought, hey why not type up another chapter? So here's another installment! Warning! Character Death! (Just thought I'd warn you)**

* * *

The next day, James had taken Jareth along for a walk into the Winding Canyon. As they walked on the canyons hard packed, clay floor, James nonchalantly spoke to Jareth, "Jareth, your father has a marvelous surprise for you."

Jareth's eyes lit up. "Oooh, what is it?" he asked bounding in front of his shady uncle.

James shook his head. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"

Jareth pleaded, "If you tell me, I'll still at surprised."

James laughed harshly. "Ho-ho-ho. You are such a naughty boy."

Jareth appealed to James, slightly miffed at the naughty boy reference, his conscience still smarting from the dangerous adventure from yesterday. "Come on Uncle James." He asked.

James shook his head emphatically. "No, no, no, no, no. This is just for you and your daddy…a sort of…father- son…thing." James said waving his hand vaguely. James face lightened. "Well! I'd better go get him!"

Jareth popped up from the rock he had been resting on, while he and James talked. "I'll go with you!" he exclaimed.

James stopped short and barked, "No!" he hastily regained his composure as Jareth stopped short at James shortness with him. "heh heh heh. No. Just stay on this rock. You wouldn't want to end up in another mess like you did with the hyenas…" he trailed off looking at his suddenly downcast nephew.

Jareth kept his eyes on the ground as he sat dejectedly on the protruding rock that James had pointed out to him. "You know about that?" Jareth didn't think that Jared would have let anyone know about the incident, knowing that it would upset Angela.

James tossed his head flippantly. "Jareth, everybody knows about that."

Jareth looked up, now extremely embarrassed. He wondered why his mother hadn't said anything to him this morning at breakfast. "Really?" he asked meekly.

James nodded gravely. "Oh, yes. Lucky Daddy was there to save you, hmm?" James was enjoying toying with Jareth's young mind immensely. He put a hand on Jareth's shoulder and leaned down conspirator-like. "Oh, and you might want to work on that little magic trick of yours, eh?"

Jareth ducked his head again, "oh…okay…" he replied as James roughly patted his head and moved away. "Hey Uncle James, will I like the surprise?" he called after his uncle's retreating back.

James called over his shoulder, "Jareth, it's to DIE for." He turned his face around, an evil smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

XxXxXxXxXxX

A little ways away in the plains next to the Winding Canyon, Jared and Hoggle walked on their regular morning route, checking up on a dispute reported among the tree fairies.

XxXxXxXxX

On a plain high above the Winding Canyon's edge, a huge herd of gentle wildehorses grazed on the green grass below their hooves. Off on the outskirts of the herd, three figures sat underneath a stone archway, hidden in shadow, waiting for something or someone. A growl issued from, a man with lanky black hair and gray eyes, his stomach. A woman with blonde stringy hair and brown eyes, growled, "Shut up."

"I can't help it. I'm so hungry…" the man whined then jumped up suddenly. "I gotta have a wildehorse!" Banzai exclaimed looking at the wildehorses, as they grazed placidly, not more than a few feet in front of the rocky arch.

Wildehorses in nature are not very wild animals and will not stampede but if threatened then look out. Or their powerful hooves might crush someone. They were as tall as a regular stallion horse, like the ones out west used to be, but they were all gray and striped like zebras; only they had two sharp horns on the top of their heads with which to protect themselves from enemies.

Shenzi pointed at the seat Banzai just vacated. "Stay put." She said, annoyance flashing in her eyes.

Banzai sat slowly back down. "Can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?" he pleaded.

Shenzi shook her head. "No! We wait for a signal from James." The three hyena rogues spotted James making his way up a high outcropping, overlooking the herd. He gave them a grave look and turning around, he disappeared from their sight. "There he is…" Shenzi gave the others an evil, humorous look on her face. "Let's go."

XxXxXxXxX

Jareth laid back on the rock enjoying the sunshine. "Little magic trick, puh." He snorted as a little chameleon climbed down the scraggly tree that had been shading Jareth's rock, and walked slowly away from the young prince. Jareth pointed at the chameleon and sent a small ball of magic at the creature. It puffed on the ground a few inches away, and showered the chameleon in silver glitter, not even startling it from its intended course. Jareth jumped off the rock and landed a few inches from the animal. He tried again, with his magic ball landing on the ground before the chameleon's feet. It still wasn't fazed by the magic. Jareth glared and moved closer again, concentrating.

**Boom!**

The chameleon skittered away at the explosion at its feet, leaving behind a trail of glittering footprints in its wake. Jareth lifted his head and relished in the echo that the canyon had made of the sound of his magic ball exploding. Soon it was eclipsed by another sound. Jareth looked down at his feet and spies pebbles dancing at his feet. Jareth looks up to see the Wildehorse herd clambering over the lip of the canyon. Jareth gasped in terror and began to run away from the swiftly approaching herd.

XxXxXxXxX

Back on top of the canyon, three hyenas could be seen snapping and biting at the heels of the frightened horses to make them go over the edge and into Winding Canyon.

XxXxXxX

Jared and Hoggle had just pulled themselves onto a rocky ledge over looking the plain they had just crossed, and sat down for a rest. Hoggle noticed the trail of dust rising from the Winding Canyon floor. "Look sire, the herd is on the move." He said to Jared, pointing.

Jared shaded his eyes with a gloved hand and looked towards the place Hoggle had pointed. "Odd…" he muttered.

Suddenly a raven with green eyes and dull feathers flew in front of the ledge. A very harried and out of breath James appeared in place of the raven. "Jared. Quick. Stampede. In Winding Canyon. Jareth's down there!"

James cried up to Jared.

"Jareth?" Jared asked, stricken.

XxXxXxXxX

The Wildehorses were fast, and before Jareth knew it, they were upon him. In desperation, he climbed up a dead tree, worn smooth from wind and rain. He clambered, coughing, onto a branch hanging over the thunderously, stampeding herd.

Jared, James, and Hoggle slid down a little ways into the canyon, looking franticly. Well, two of them were looking frantically. Hoggle spotted Jareth first. 'There! There! On that tree!" he pointed.

Jared followed Hoggle's finger and his eyes fixed on the small, struggling, figure, and shouted, "Hold on Jareth!" even though Jareth could not hear him. He watched in horror as a wildehorse runs full force into the tree trunk, nearly breaking the branch and sending Jareth flying as it was Jareth, slipped to hang upside down on the branch, hands sliding. Jareth clutched the branch hard, and yelled out in fright. "Ahhhh!"

Jared was climbing down to the canyon floor in a flash. Jared dashed into the galloping herd, keeping his mismatched eyes trained worriedly on his son dangling a few feet from the canyon floor, in the dusty air. Hoggle paced back and forth nervously. "Oh Scar, this is awful. What will we do? What will we do? Hah ... I'll go back for help, that's what I'll do, I'll go back for he--oomph!" James rolled his eyes and viciously backhanded Hoggle into the wall, before the dwarf knew what had hit him, and was out cold.

With Hoggle out of the way, James follows Jared's progress from the ledge. His shadow mysteriously cast on the canyon's wall. Jared ran with the herd until he was slightly past the tree, whipping around some wildehorses to run at Jareth's tree, straight into the herd. A wildehorse rammed into Jared, knocking him to the ground with a grunt of pain. Grimacing, Jared rolled over, dodging hooves, and shaking blood from his eyes from a cut over his right eye. He struggled up as a particularly large wildehorse rammed the tree head on, and snapped it, sending Jareth flying toward the thundering masses below. "Ehhhh!" Jareth yelled, flailing his arms and legs.

Jared sprang up and caught Jareth in his powerful arms, midair. Jared then tried making his way to a ledge a little ways above the herd, but he was struck again, with a shout of agony; Jareth was knocked from his arms. Jareth dodges a few wildehorses and watches in fear as a wildehorse comes to fast at him to dodge this time. Out of nowhere, Jared scooped up Jareth as the wildehorse crashes right where Jareth had just previously been. Jared spies a ledge and jumps up to it to set Jareth safely down. Before he could lever himself up as well, a wildehorse struck him in the middle and carried Jared off, who yelled pain. "Dad!" Jareth shouted, eyes fearful as he searched the masses franticly for any sign of his father.

At the last second, Jared burst from the herd, managed to grab hold of the canyon's wall, and tortuously make his way back up the canyon's sheer rock wall. Jareth, glad to see his dad alive, turns and begins to make his way back to the canyon's top. Jared reached a point in his climb to realize that he could go no further, and to make matters worse, his feet were slipping on the almost vertical rock slope. On the ledge above him, James hovers almost anxiously. "James! Broth-" Jared nearly loses his grip but hangs on by his bloodied fingers. "Brother! Help me!" he called out.

James looked down his nose at Jared a few seconds longer, a when Jared' s foothold broke, a scrawny lion with a black mane caught Jared' s hands with his claws. Jared roared in pained surprise as his expression changed to horror as he realized what James really intended to do. James dug his claws deeper into Jared's torn and bloodied, gloved hands, dragged Jared up a few inches so that James could lean do to whisper in Jared's ear. James changed back to fae, keeping the claws, "Long live the king." he whispered slowly and evilly into Jared's ear. Jared's mismatched eyes widened.

James shook his claws free of Jared's and watched him fly backwards in a free fall. Jared plummeted to the ground below, flailing his arms and legs, having no magic left to transform, as he used it up to get to Jareth quickly in the first place.

"Ahhhhhhh!-Nooooooo!" Jared's terrified yell mingled with Jareth's as Jareth watched his father disappear beneath the swiftly moving animals.

Finally, the herd passes and it was safe to go into the canyon. Jareth scrambled down the rocky slope as dust clouds everything, even blocking out the sun, which was low in the sky. Jareth walked along the canyon floor, coughing he called out. "Dad?" the sound echoed in the canyon. A rustle was heard. Jareth whirled around. "Dad?" but all it was, was a lone wildehorse. Jareth watched it jump around a log further down the gully, bent and broken in an arch like way over a prone figure sprawled on its side in the dust. "Dad…" Jareth whispered brokenly making his way over to Jared who lay deathly still.

Jared had his eyes closed and his head was tilted toward the sky at an odd angle, while a cut bled sluggishly down the side of his pale face to mingle with the dirt below. His once spotless clothes were torn and bloodied, covered in dust and dirt. Jareth fell to his knees and picked up Jared's still gloved hand, there were rips and tares in the once black cloth, and the blood from his wounds on his hands starkly contrasted with the pallid white skin underneath the glove. Jared's face was calm and relaxed. Jareth pulled on his father's lifeless hand. "Dad?…Dad, come on." Jared's hand fell limply to the ground. "You gotta get up." Jareth patted his father's cheek, but there was no twitch of life, no heartbeat to indicate that the fae king had survived the fall. "Dad. We gotta go home." Jareth's voice wavered; he was beginning to get scared. Jareth looked to the sky. "Heeeeelllppp! Somebody! Anybody…" his voice echoed hollowly in the canyon. Tears began to make their way down Jareth's dirty cheeks as he scooted under Jared's outstretched arm. "Help…" he sobbed, huddling close to his father's body.

A figure approached in the settling dust. James walked up to the pair, noticing who was a live and who wasn't. "Jareth," James whispered in mock horror. "What have you done?"

Jareth jumped up, badly startled, and began to cry harder. "There were wildehorses and he tried to save me…it was an accident…I didn't mean for it to happen."

James held open his arms and Jareth rushed into the embrace. James replied but still was distant in his reactions to his nephew's grief. "Of course, of course you didn't. No one... ever means," James pulled Jareth closer. "For these things to happen. ...But the king IS dead." Jareth pressed his face into James spotless white tunic and cried. He looked at Jareth in mock scolding. "And if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive." Jareth blanched, his young mind thought it was his fault. James gasped in fake horror as a "new" thought came to him. "What will your mother think?"

Jareth sniffled, trying not to cry. "What am I gonna do?" he asked, looking to his uncle for guidance.

James pulled away from Jareth. Jareth shivered, as it suddenly seemed that the air had gone ten degrees colder. "Run away, Jareth." James growled low. "Run…Run away, and never return."

Jareth glanced at his father one last time, as if ingraining his face into his memory. Then he ran off blindly down the canyon's winding way, obviously broken.

Three hyenas appeared behind James as he stared after his fleeing nephew.

"Kill him." Came James' brief but cold command.

_To Be Continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everybody! Just thought I would do a quickie chapter of Fae King while I have time. So here is a little shorter chapter, but I hope that the next one will be longer. Thanks for reading and keep reading! Especially my two most faithful readers and reviewers, you know who you are, keep it up! It's not long now and I will be done with both stories!**

* * *

_Last Time: "Ahhhhhhh!-Nooooooo!" Jared's terrified yell mingled with Jareth's as Jareth watched his father disappear beneath the thundering masses. _

_Jareth watched it jump around a log further down the gully, bent and broken in an arch like way over a prone figure sprawled on its side in the dust._

_Jared had his eyes closed and his head was tilted toward the sky at an odd angle, while a cut bled sluggishly down the side of his pale face to mingle with the dirt below. His once spotless clothes were torn and bloodied, covered in dust and dirt. Jareth fell to his knees and picked up Jared's still gloved hand, there were rips and tares in the once black cloth, and the blood from his wounds on his hands starkly contrasted with the pallid white skin underneath the glove. Jared's face was calm and relaxed. Jareth pulled on his father's lifeless hand. "Dad?…Dad, come on." Jared's hand fell limply to the ground. "You gotta get up." Jareth patted his father's cheek, but there was no twitch of life, no heartbeat to indicate that the fae king had survived the fall._

_James pulled away from Jareth. Jareth shivered, as it suddenly seemed that the air had gone ten degrees colder. "Run away, Jareth." James growled low. "Run…Run away, and never return." _

_Jareth glanced at his father one last time, as if ingraining his face into his memory. Then he ran off blindly down the canyon's winding way, obviously broken. _

_Three hyenas appeared behind James as he stared after his fleeing nephew. _

"_Kill him." Came James' command._

* * *

"Kill him." James commanded, eyes cold. The three rushed past their leader, intent on their long awaited prize. James looked over at Jared's body. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." He sneered down and then spat at the dirt in front of Jared's body. He tossed a little dirt onto his spotless clothes and tore his tunic a little; making it seem as if he had tried to save Jared and Jareth as well. James raised his arms to the sky and spun, calling out gleefully, "Now, there is no one to stop me. Oh, I just can't wait to be king!"

* * *

Jareth could hear the hyenas panting and growling mere yards behind him. So, he scrambled through a hole in the canyon big enough for him but small enough that the hyenas snarled in frustration, because they couldn't get through. Jareth got to the end of the gully, but stopped short at the sheer drop that waited at the end of the gorge. Jareth risked a glance behind, and discovered that the hyenas had found another route. He looked out at the setting sun and taking a deep breath, Jareth plunged over the side of the canyon; tumbling end over end into a large patch of briars that grew at the bottom of the drop. He began scrambling under and over prickly branches, as far away from the hunting animals as he could get.

* * *

Banzai was the fastest, so he was in front. Galloping over the ledge and down the drop toward the fleeing fae child, Banzai spotted the briars. "Whoa!" he yelled skidding to a stop just at the lip of the last ledge, heading almost head first into the thorny thicket. He sighed in relief from the save, but not a moment later, Shenzi and Ed both crashed into him from behind, sending him flying into the briars. "Yeow!!" Banzai shot up and out of the briars, howling in pain, in his hyena fae form. Shenzi and Ed roared with laughter at the sight before them. Banzai was covered in thorns from head to toe, and from the looks of it, it was very painful.

Shenzi stopped laughing as she returned to her own hyena fae form and spotted Jareth just clearing the thicket and running across the mass plain into the setting sun, as if the devil himself were after him, heading into the desert of despair. "Hey! There he goes! There he goes!" she told the others pointing.

Banzai pulled out some thorns in his hand, with his teeth. "So go get 'im." He mumbled around a mouthful of barbs.

"There ain't no way I'm going in there. What, you want me to come out like you? Cactus butt?" Shenzi placed a hand on her hip, laughter layering her voice.

Ed grinned at Banzai, tongue out in hyena humor. Banzai spit the spikes he had in his mouth at Ed, hitting the stupid git in the nose. Ed pulled away with a pained yelp, rubbing at his injured appendage. "We gotta finish the job." Banzai said, all three knowing first hand how well James took failure.

Shenzi shook her head, dirty blonde hair swinging in her face. "Well, he's as good as dead out there anyway." She replied, shading her eyes to look at the running figure as it got smaller and smaller. "And IF he comes back, we'll kill him." She said to the others, shrugging her thin shoulders.

Banzai pulled out the last of the thorns and stood, facing the retreating shadow. "Yeah, you hear that?" he called out, voice ringing across the plain. "If you ever come back will kill ya!!" the form gave no indication that he had heard, only a slight speeding up of the running pace. Chuckling, the three headed back to James to tell him that the "deed" had been done.

* * *

That night, by the light of the moon, all the nobles stood around the throne, dressed in black, listening to James as he retold the tragedy that had befallen their beloved king and prince. "Jared's death is a terrible tragedy, but to lose Jareth, who had barely begun to live…" James said with a slight catch in his voice. Sarah, looking like a pale ghost in her black tunic and skirt, pressed the side of her small face into her mother's side. Her mother put her arms around Sarah in a protective hug. Sarah tried not to sob as tear made tracks down her pale cheeks. Sarah and her mother stood next to the newly widowed queen Angela. She had immediately fainted at the news, but when she had been brought around again with smelling salts, had remain a silent black shadow; completely alone in her grief for her only son and husband. Hoggle patted Sarah on the shoulder awkwardly, feeling at a loss at how to give comfort; for Jared had been a dear friend, and Jareth, though slightly annoying at times, had grown on Hoggle after a time.

James looked solemn as he picked up Jared's simple gold crown from its stone pedestal in front of the steps to the throne, and placed it on his head. "...For me it is a deep personal loss. So, it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne." He began making his way up the three small stairs to Jared's throne. "Yet, out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era..." James dusted off the seat and turned around at the sound of the throne room doors opening slowly. The people in the room gasped as Sarah's mother drew her daughter closer to her. Hyena rogues filled into the room, grinning snidely; their shadows cast eerily on the walls. " ...In which fae and hyena rogues come together, in a great and glorious future!" James sat down in his new throne, eyes gleaming with triumph, as the throne room doors closed, the fae nobility looking with apprehension at their new king.

* * *

Atop a chandelier in the throne room, a tiny yellow finch with a crown of white feathers sat, dejectedly, as if shaking its yellow head sadly.

_To Be Continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey thought I'd get a chapter in! Keep reading! I'm only doing last time because I need a lead in and this works because it helps those who might not remember all that happened last time. Also, it gives more depth to the chapter. However, I will not be doing it for all the rest of the chapters, just this last chapter and this one. Also, if some are confused as to why Jared died, even though it happens in the Lion King, Fae are supposed to be immortal, can't die, but I made it that they can live a ridiculously long time and heal really fast, but can die if someone tries or of really old age if no one tries to kill them off. Just wanted to get that off my mind. :)**

* * *

_Last Time:_

_Shenzi shook her head, dirty blonde hair swinging in her face. "Well, he's as good as dead out there anyway." She replied, shading her eyes to look at the running figure as it got smaller and smaller. "And IF he comes back, we'll kill him." She said to the others, shrugging her thin shoulders._

_Banzai pulled out the last of the thorns and stood, facing the retreating shadow. "Yeah, you hear that?" he called out, voice ringing across the plain. "If you ever come back will kill ya!!"_

_The people in the room gasped as Sarah's mother drew her daughter closer to her. Hyena rogues filled into the room, grinning snidely; their shadows cast eerily on the walls. " ...In which fae and hyena rogues come together, in a great and glorious future!" James sat down in his new throne, eyes gleaming with triumph, as the throne room doors closed, the fae nobility looking with apprehension at their new king. _

_Atop a chandelier in the throne room, a tiny yellow finch with a crown of white feathers sat, dejectedly, as if shaking its yellow head sadly._

* * *

Several days later found Jareth collapsed, just a few feet from the end of the desert of despair. Harpies, beautiful yet vicious in the harsh desert sun, flew overhead, circling around Jareth's prone form before landing to investigate the still form; out of nowhere, a large shape hurtled into their midst and sent the harpies flying with kicks and slaps. "YYYYYeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" someone yelled as a small form jumped off the back of the second form, and beat off the squawking, complaining harpies with loud laughter.

"I love it! Bowling for harpies!" a short, squat purple unicorn, resembling a pig more than a unicorn; except for the shining silver horn on its head indicating otherwise and also a immortal as well.

A slender elf with pale blue skin, slightly pointed ears, and dressed in dusty black breeches and a red tunic, shook shoulder length ebony hair behind her shoulders, laughing still. "Gets 'em every time!" she giggled, brushing a tear of laughter from her brown eyes.

The unicorn trotted over to what the harpies had been poking at. "Uh-oh. Hey Elwyn, I think you'd better come look; I think it's still alive." Called the unicorn in concern.

Elwyn drew back in disgust. 'Ewwww…" she complained walking over. "All righty, what have we got here?" she pulls Jareth's hand away from his face, sniffing. Upon seeing Jareth's face and his well tailored, if dirty and torn clothing, she shrieked in surprise, jumping onto the unicorn's back pulling at his black mane. "Jeez, it's a fae and a noble at that! Run, Destry! Move it!"

Destry didn't move and stayed where he was, staring down at Jareth. "Hey Elwyn, it's just a little fae. Look at him; he's so cute and all alone! Can we keep him?" Destry swung his head around to look at Elwyn pleadingly.

Elwyn rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing tiredly. "Destry, are you nuts? You're talking about a fae, he'll fry your butt in a second!" she shouted in his ear.

Destry shook himself, making Elwyn fall off his back. Elwyn found herself face to face with Destry. "But he's so little." Destry pressed.

Elwyn shook her finger at Destry from her spot on the ground. "He'll get bigger." She warned him.

Destry wasn't about to be deterred. When something was implanted in his head, he went for it, until he got it. "Maybe he could be on our side."

Elwyn picked herself off the ground and brushed her clothes off. She scoffed, "A-huh! That's the stupidest-" Then the idea struck. "Hey, I got it! What if he's on our side?" Elwyn regarded Jareth thoughtfully scratching her chin. "You know, having a fae around, and a noble, might not be such a bad idea." She mused.

Destry kneeled the few feet to the ground, so that Elwyn could wrestle Jareth onto his back. "So we keeping 'im?" he asked as Elwyn got back on, holding onto Jareth's unconscious form.

Elwyn rolled her eyes. "Of course. Who's the brains of this outfit?" she asked patting Destry's back.

Destry thought hard. "Uhh…"

Elwyn nodded knowingly, "My point exactly." She wiped her sweating brow. "I'm fried, let's go find some shade." She said to Destry. He set off at a fast trot toward the edge of the desert.

* * *

A little while later, the trio came to the end of the Desert of Despair and into the Land of Dreams; where they rested by a small pool fed by a stream leading into thick, green underbrush. Jareth lay beside the pool, and Elwyn, after regarding the exiled prince carefully, splashed cool water onto Jareth's dirty face. He stirred, opening a mismatched eye slowly. "You okay kid?" Elwyn asked as Jareth regard her and Destry, and his surroundings slowly, as if not believing that he was still alive.

"I guess so." Jareth said slowly, turning his blonde head to look at the strange creatures in front of him, a mysterious emotion in his mismatched eyes.

Destry put his head close to Jareth's, gray eyes serious. "You nearly died." He said emphatically.

"I saved ya." Elwyn twittered, primping for the boy's undying gratitude. Destry smacked Elwyn upside the head with his horn. Elwyn grinned sheepishly. "Destry helped, a little."

Jareth looked in the pool and touched a small cut on the side of his face, that had scabbed over and in the next day would be gone, a boy with haunted eyes stared back at Jareth from the pool's shallow depth. Jareth also took into account his dirty, dusty, and torn clothing; with a flick of the wrist, and silver glitter, he was clothed in a new black tunic, breeches, and boots, while the other two watched in silent awe. It was nothing really, for Jareth to cloth himself. Every fae, with at least an ounce of magic, learned to cloth themselves at an early age by magic. "Thanks for your help." He dully said, turning around to walk back into the bright sunlight.

"Hey, where you going?" Elwyn asked as Jareth sat on a sun-baked rock and placed his head in his hands, now encased in black leather gloves.

"Nowhere." Came the reply.

"Gee, he looks blue." Elwyn said to Destry who stood beside her, watching with concern the small boy in front of them.

Destry squinted at Jareth. "I'd say he looks a little pale for my taste." He said to Elwyn.

Elwyn shook her head, black hair swishing. 'No, no, no. I mean he's depressed."

Destry considered that a moment. 'Oh." He then trotted up to Jareth. "Hey kid, what's eaten ya?" he asked, sitting down next to Jareth.

Elwyn followed and elbowed Jareth in the side. "Nothing! He's at the top of the food chain!" She laughed loudly at her own joke, only to have it followed by Jareth and Destry staring silently at her. "Ahem," she coughed then began nonchalantly, "So, where you from…" she elaborated with her hand.

Jareth shook his head. "Who cares? I can't go back." He morosely said looking down at the ground.

Elwyn seemed to get excited by his remark. "Great! You're an outcast, so are we!" she pointed at Destry and herself.

Destry leaned over to Jareth, " What'cha do kid?" he asked.

Jareth's head hung lower. 'Something terrible. But I don't wanna to talk about it."

Elwyn crossed her arms. "Good. We don't wanna hear it."

Destry nudged Elwyn. "Come on, Elwyn." He admonished the female elf, noticing that Jareth was sinking even lower in on himself. "Anything we can do?"

"Not unless you can change the past." Jareth sadly said, Jared's voice still ringing in his ears.

Destry nudged Jareth, nearly knocking the small boy off his rock that he was seated on, "You know, kid, in times like this my buddy Elwyn here says, 'You got to put your behind in your past…'"

Elwyn, who had been preening at Destry's incoming message, slapped a hand to her head and waved her arms. "No! No! No! Amateur! Lie down before you hurt yourself." She retorted back at Destry. She turned to Jareth, who was now being pulled out of his misery, by the two's antics. "Its 'You got to put your past behind you.' Look, kid. Bad things happen, and there's nothing you can do about it, right?" she said.

'Right." Jareth acknowledged by nodding his head but was stopped by a finger jabbing into his nose.

"Wrong!" He yelped and grabbed at his abused appendage. "When the world turns its back on you, you gotta turn your back on de world." Elwyn said, sweeping her hand out. Elwyn was small; only a few centimeter's shorter than Jareth but she made up for it in her sarcastic-don't mess with me attitude, and her ability to command total attention. Which she had Jareth's attention completely.

Jareth looked at Elwyn questioningly. "That's not what I was taught." He said.

Elwyn hopped onto Destry's back. "Then repeat after me." She cleared her throat and straightened up. "Hakuna Matata." She said in a teacher like voice.

"What?" Jareth was now thoroughly confused.

Destry bumped into Jareth with his shoulder. Destry was about the height of Jareth and with Elwyn sitting on top of his back, he nearly dislodged her; in fact, Elwyn had to grab hold of his mane to stay on. "Ha-ku-na, Ma-ta-ta." He pronounced slowly as if Jareth were dull-witted. "It means no worries." He explained.

Elwyn kneed Destry gently and they moved into the foliage outlining the pool_. "Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase" _she sang pulling branches out of the trios' way.

Destry looked back at Jareth who followed a little hesitantly. _"Hakuna Matata! Ain't no _passing_ craze…" _He sang, trotting jauntily.

As they moved farther into the brush, Elwyn jumped off of Destry and pulled Jareth toward a large, comfy looking bush. _"It means no worries, For the rest of your days..."_ she sang and pushed Jareth onto the pile of bush, while Destry grabbed a leafy palm branch and began fanning the young, exiled prince, Elwyn fed Jareth a few berries she had found along the way.

"_It's our problem-free, Philosophy… Hakuna Matata!" _they sang together, coming to lean on Jareth from either side.

Jareth cracked a small smile. "Hakuna Matata?" he asked wondering if he really could forget everything.

Destry nodded. "It's our motto." He told Jareth.

Jareth asked, "What's a motto?"

"Nothing!" Elwyn broke in. "What's a motto with you?" she and Destry burst into loud laughter at Elwyn's slightly bad joke.

"You know, kid. These two words will solve all your problems." Destry said, still laughing as they started walking again and made it into a clearing in the brush, as trees stretched tall overhead.

Elwyn nodded. "That's right! Take Destry for example." She pointed at Destry who took on a melancholy expression. _"Why, when he was a young unicorn…" _she sang.

Destry broke in with an Italian like opera singer's voice. _"When I was a young unicooorrrnnn!"_ He sang right in front of Elwyn.

She winced and cleaned her right ear. "Very nice." She sarcastically replied.

Destry beamed. "Thanks." He said missing the implied insult in Elwyn's comment.

Elwyn just rolled her eyes and continued. _"He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal. He could clear the Labyrinth after every meal."_

Destry looked saddened. _"I'm a sensitive soul, though I seem thick-skinned. And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind… And oh, the shame!"_ he said like a television evangelical preacher.

Elwyn echoed Destry. "_He was ashamed!"_

Destry got down on his knees. _"Thoughta changin' my name"_ he said as Elwyn hugged him around the neck.

_"Oh, what's in a name?" _Elwyn held up her hands in offering.

Destry put a hoof to where his heart supposedly was to be._" And I got downhearted"_

Elwyn looked at Destry, as if sharing in his sorrow. _"How did you feel?"_

Destry was in full swing now. _" Ev'rytime that I..." _

Elwyn slapped her hand onto Destry's mouth before he could say anything else. "Destry! Not in front of the kids!" she exclaimed.

Destry realized what he had been about to say. "Oh, sorry." He mumbled through Elwyn's hand. Jareth looked surprised. Nevertheless, he watched with growing interest as Elwyn pulled Destry up in a vine made like a swing. Destry began to swing as Elwyn tied him off. _"Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase! Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze!"_ They sang as Destry grabbed Elwyn and swung with her.

Jareth began to bounce to the beat, after becoming more and more enthusiastic; he began to sing with them. _"It means no worries, for the rest of your days…" _he sang.

Elwyn dropped down and slid toward Jareth on her knees. "Yeah, sing it kid." She encouraged.

"_It's our problem free…" _Jareth and Elwyn sang together, and then Destry dropped from above with a flatulent sound that Jareth did not want to think about. _"…Philosophy…" _Destry sang.

"_Hakuna Matata." _They crooned together, Jareth having successfully forgotten, for now, about his worries and his past. Elwyn smiled at Jareth as he began to take in his new territory with interest. She pulls back a fern leaf, revealing a beautiful view of a rift-jungle. Waterfalls and rugged terrain made up the beautiful view. "Welcome...to our humble home." Elwyn said bowing a little as Jareth gasped in awe.

"You live here?" Jareth was amazed. "It's beautiful." He said, and meant it. The Land of Dreams really was the land of dreams, where imaginations could take flight.

Elwyn shrugged. "We live wherever we want." She replied as they walked through, a long a dirt path in the jungle.

Destry nodded. "Yup. Home is where your rump rests. Heh!' he chortled at his own inside joke. He burped loudly. "I'm starved!" he complained.

Jareth rubbed his stomach as it growled. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole griffin."

Elwyn stopped so suddenly that Destry ran into her. "Eeeahhah. We're fresh out of griffin." She said a bit taken back, but knew that the question was coming.

Jareth asked again. "Any phoenix?"

Elwyn shook her head as they passed a beautiful waterfall throwing rainbows into the water-misted air. "Na-ah." She replied.

Jareth was beginning to get desperate. "Wildebeast?"

Elwyn shook her head again as they came to a small clearing lined with different kinds of fruit trees, berry-laden bushes, and a bulky looking log right in the middle of the clearing. "Nope. Listen, kid; if you live with us, you have to eat like us." She swept her hand taking in the log and the trees. "Hey, this looks like a good spot to rustle up some grub." She said as Destry pushed the log over on its side, while bugs of different colors and sizes scuttled to hide from the light and back into the rotting log, after being disturbed.

Destry picked up a bug and crunched down so hard on it, that Jareth could hear the outer shell of the bug, cracking. He winced in revulsion. Elwyn picked an oddly shaped fruit off of a tree that she had quickly climbed, and bit into the yellow squash looking fruit with obvious delight. She jumped down from the low branch she sat on and came over, picking up a stray bug as she went along and ate it too with the fruit. "Ewww. What is that?" Jareth asked, scrunching up his nose.

Elwyn picked up another bug and popped it into her mouth. "A firegrub, what's it look like?" she said sarcastically. Elwyn picked up a large palm leaf and began to place berries and bugs onto it at will. She ate as she went along.

Jareth closed his eyes at the slurping sound Destry made when the dumpy unicorn swallowed a mouthful of worms along with a mouthful of grass. "Ewwww. Gross." He complained.

Destry smacked his lips, went over to some bushes, and began to eat the berries hanging on it. "Slimy, yet satisfying." Destry said through a mouthful of berries.

Elwyn picked up a handful of fire ants and licked them up at they darted around on her hand. "Cinnamon, with a very pleasant crunch." Elwyn said as if tasting a fine wine or dish.

Destry came up with a orange, oblong fruit speared with his silver horn. He tilted his head and the fruit fell off, and fell to the ground with a thunk. "You'll learn to love 'em." He explained biting into the fruit.

Elwyn had almost made it the entire way around the clearing, filling her leaf with different kinds of fruit and bugs. "I'm telling you, kid, this is the great life. No rules. No responsibilities." She picked a bug darting out of a knothole in the log. She squealed, "Oooh! The little cream-filled kind!" She tossed it into her mouth. "And best of all, no worries." Elwyn said presenting the leaf to Jareth who looked doubtfully at the leaf plate full of bugs. Jareth, with the all the delicateness of a kitten trying milk for the first time, picked up a few berries and some rolly pollies to go with the fruit. Jareth watched as the rolly pollies rolled up and disguised themselves among the different gray colored berries. Elwyn extended her hand in a waiting gesture. "Well, kid?" she asked.

Destry and Elwyn watched with bated breath, as Jareth looked at his small handful and popped the whole lot into his mouth, chewing dutifully. He swallowed and smacked his lips experimentally. Jareth brightened considerably. "Slimy, yet satisfying." He said surprised.

Elwyn and Destry grinned at each other than at Jareth who reached for some more fruit to mix with the bugs. "That's it." Elwyn said encouragingly. Some of the bugs with wings flew off into the sky.

* * *

_Eight Years Later…………_

A gangly teen with long legs and arms that he had no idea what to do with, ran among the tree of the Dream lands, and practiced magic diligently everyday. More of a stork than anything, the adolescent had traces of hidden power confined in the long lines of his body indicating an imposing figure to come.

* * *

_Six Years Later………_

Trotting along a path to the swimming pool, Elwyn sat astride Destry, and after them, a black boot planted itself right after the pair. _"Hakuna matata, hakuna matata, hakuna matata." _Elwyn chanted with Destry.

A man with blonde layered hair, dressed in black boots, gray leather pants, and a burgundy tunic, strutted along. You would almost mistake him for Jared, for he was the splitting image of the dead king, but for a slight difference in build, having dined on berries and bugs the last thirteen years. _"It means no worries, for the rest of your days…" _Jareth crooned in a beautiful tenor-baritone voice. _"Hakuna Matata."_

All three sang together, _"It's our problem free, philosophy…Hakuna Matata." _Elwyn jumped off the end of a protruding log and made a small splash in the pool, barely causing a ripple. Then Destry did a cannonball, making a small splash, but it was Jareth that made the most spectacular feat. Grabbing a vine; Jareth swung over the pool wanting to let go and dive into the water, but the vine broke at the last second under his weight, and he plunged into the water, creating a wave that washed Elwyn and Destry ashore.

Jareth slogged up the bank, wet clothes clinging to his lithe, but very tall and thin body. He snapped his fingers and his clothes instantly became dry. Jareth shook his still damp hair and water flew from his blonde tresses, giving him the tussled hair look. He and the others continued on their way, making jazz variations of Hakuna Matata. The setting sun setting off Jareth's hair in a blaze of gold, as he strutted along with the music he and the others were making.

_To Be Continued…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Now that I have gotten that chapter out of the way, I am well on the road to finishing this story. I'm a little sad that it will be coming to an end soon, but I will be glad that I have finished. So without, further ado, onto the next chapter! Also the song in this chapter is from the musical The Lion King and I do not own the song, but I thought it would be fun to stick in here. Some of the song is in Italics, sometimes it is not. Especially the conversation between James and Sarah at the end. It is in the song.**

Back in the land of the Underground, the Labyrinth hadn't fared well under James' rule. Most of the landscape is gray and dead, dry and brittle, most of the trees and plants dead. The Goblin City itself looked mostly abandoned. Heading toward the castle, covered in dead or dying ivy vines that had made their way almost all the way up the castles height, a plaintive and weak voice could be heard coming from the almost empty throne room. James lounged in his throne, eyes closed as he made a broken bit of bone float in the air above him. _"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows my sorrow..." _Hoggle despondently sang from a cage made of bones from some sort of large animal.

James directed his hand toward Hoggle's cage making the bone bounce off the "bar" of Hoggle's prison, making the dwarf flinch; as if it hadn't been the first time that something had been throw at Hoggle. "Oh Hedgewart, do lighten up." James said opening his eyes and directing his gaze to the frightened dwarf. "Sing something with…a little…bounce in it." James commanded, summoning the bone back to his hand.

Hoggle sighed and thought then began another song. _"It's a small world after all…" _he sang off key.

James cringed and threw the bone again at Hoggle, this time making contact with Hoggle's arm. Hoggle yelped rubbing his bruised arm. "No! Anything but that!" James threatened Hoggle, covering his ears.

Hoggle thinks a moment, still rubbing his injured arm, then held up a pudgy finger. _"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts…(diddely-dee-dee)…There they are a-standing in a row…" _

James joined in; this was an apparent favorite. _"Big one, small ones, some as big as your head…"_ he walked over to a map of the Labyrinth spread out on a table in front of the throne , humming along with the tune before breaking in with the words.

Hoggle stopped and shook his head while James sung on. "Oh…I'd never do this for Jared."

James rebounded on Hoggle very quickly and he was angry at hearing that name. "What? What did you say?"

Hoggle waved his hands quickly, "Nothing! Nothing at all!"

James jabbed a finger at Hoggle, making the dwarf shrink back, almost falling over as James punctuated each word. "You know the law: Never, never mention that name in my presence. I-AM-THE-KING!" at the last word, Hoggle did fall over.

Hoggle struggled to get up. "Yes, sire. You ARE the king. I... I... Well, I only mentioned it to illustrate the differences in your royal ruling approaches." Hoggle stuttered, but James wasn't listening anymore.

James rubbed a hand to his head tiredly. _"Higgle, why am I not loved? I am that rare and awesome thing; I'm every inch a king. Yet, I feel a twinge of doubt, as I go walk about-"_ James was interrupted by his three most trusted hyena fae walking in.

Banzai called, "Hey, boss!"

James ignored Banzai and looked out the window at the gray world outside. "_When my name is whispered through the pride… Is this talk of love or regicide?"_

Shenzi didn't understand what James was talking about. "Reggie who?" she asked.

James turned toward his hyena subjects and sang, "_Tell me I'm adored. Please tell me I'm adored."_

Banzai was getting impatient. "Hey, boss!" he yelled finally getting James attention.

James glared at the offending fae. "Oh, what is it?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

Banzai said in agitation, "We got a bone to pick with you."

Shenzi put up her hand to stop Banzai from talking any further. "I'll handle this." She said to Banzai. Then turning to James; Shenzi explained as best she could without angering her meal ticket. "James, there's no food, no water-"

Banzai broke in, "Yeah. It's dinnertime, and there ain't no stinkin' entrées!" he barked at James.

James spun around to face the man, eyes livid. "_Oh, you and your petty complaints. You don't know what real hunger is_. _Day after day it gnaws at the very core of my being._ _it's like an itch... deep, persistent, profound..."_ James clutched his hands to his chest. Then he swung at Banzai, but the hyena rogue hopped out of the way. "Ingrates! If it weren't for me you'd be beating off buzzards for your next bite!" James roared at them.

Shenzi and Banzai looked at each other then at James. _"Yeah, you're our savior, thanks a bunch." _They sang sarcastically to James. _"But how about some lunch? It doesn't matter if it's fresh._ _I need a fix of flesh. My bones have moved to where they've never been. They are on the outside looking in."_ They said showing James their slightly protruding rib bones.

James bellowed at the three, stalking over to them. "Are you blaming me?"

Banzai quickly explained hiding behind Shenzi as they backed up in fright from James rage. "Oh no, it's the nobles, they won't go hunt!" Then the frightened rogues looked at each other and sang together, "_You are so adored. Oh, you are so adored."_

James relaxed, a pleasant smile graced his face as he ascended the steps to sit on his throne, leaning back, closing his eyes at his subjects' praise, if a little forced. "That's more like it." He purred.

_"But what I'd give for one more hit. Of wildehorse kielbasa… Or maybe hornbill on the spit..."_

"Oh eat Haggle." James said languidly.

Hoggle quivered in fear as Ed began to pace toward him. "Oh, you wouldn't want me…I'd be all tough, and gamy…and…ew…" he said trying to dissuade the hungry hyena.

James just waved his hand and said without opening his eyes. "Oh Hogwart, don't be ridiculous. All you need is a little garnish."

Banzai whispered a little to loudly to Shenzi while James was talking to Hoggle. "I thought things were bad under Jared." He bemoaned.

James sat bolt upright, good mood gone. 'What did you say?!"

Banzai opened his stupid mouth once again. "I said-" Shenzi elbowed Banzai hard in the side. "Yeah, Ed?"

"Jared?! Jared?! How dare you! I told you never to mention that name! Now get out!" James hollered pointing at the door.

Shenzi and Ed went out the door, but Banzai paused ever so slightly. "Mm…yeah, but we're still hungry." He complained.

"OUT!" Banzai didn't stick around after that.

James slumped into his throne. "_Even in death, his shadow looms over me" _he sang quietly but then jumped up and pointed wildly around the room, a slightly insane look coming into his eyes that had been appearing lately. "_There he is! No! There he is! And there!"_

Hoggle tried to say something of reason to bring James back. "Calm yourself, Sire, or you'll get another one of your splitting headaches!"

James laughed loudly, if a little hysterically. "_I am perfectly fine! I'm better than Jared ever was. I'm revered. I am reviled. I'm idolized. I am despised. I'm keeping calm."_ He sang smoothing his hands down his sides in a calming gesture, but the next moment he spun around the room in a circle, holding his head. _"I'm going wild!"_ he stopped in front of a slightly cracked mirror and studied the wrinkles and lines that had appeared on his face in the last thirteen years. _"I tell myself I'm fine."_ He sang running his hand through his shaggy brown hair, then he did and about face, as if he were arguing with himself. Out loud. _"Yes I am, no you're not! Yes I am, no you're not! I tell myself I'm fine. No you're not, yes I am, no you're not! Yes I am! No you're not! Yes, no, yes, no, who am I talking to...?"_ he swung back around; hands to his head again, tilting to lean on a pillar, face first in a dejected pose.

Hoggle rolled his eyes at James' theatrics. "Oh, pull yourself together, Sire!" he called.

James seemed to recall himself. "Oh, very well. Higgle? Hogwart, Haggle, Hoggle...?

Hoggle sighed again, James still couldn't or would not, say his name correctly. "Yes, Sire?" he answered tiredly.

James hugged himself, now having a pity party with himself. _"Nobody loved me, there's the rub, not even as a cub. What did my brother have that I don't have?"_ he asked Hoggle.

"Do you want the short list or the long?" Hoggle answered dryly.

James waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever!" he growled.

"Well, he had adoring subjects... a loving family... a devoted queen..." Hoggle ticked the points off his fingers.

James brightened, breaking into Hoggle's listing of his brother's good-luck. "That's it! I need a queen!"

Hoggle blanked completely. "A what?" he asked.

James rattled Hoggle's cage. "_A queen, man! A queen! Without a queen, what am I? A dead end, no line, no descendants, no future. With a queen, I'll have cubs... Immortality will be mine! Immortality will be mine!"_ he laughed insanely again.

He stopped suddenly when the door to the throne room opened and a beautiful woman of about twenty stepped into the room. She was about five eight, sparking green eyes, with long, dark brown hair pulled into a severe braid that ended at the back of her knees. She was dressed in a black sleeveless tunic, eternal mourning, with a deer hide hunting skirt dyed a pale pink with a slit up the left side showing black leggings to protect her legs, and black leather, mid-calf boots completed the delightful picture in front of James. "Scar" she began hesitantly, walking toward her majesty after curtsying first.

James beamed a debonair smile at her. "Ah, Sarah... Your timing couldn't have been more perfect. My how you've grown." He purred taking in her more feminine "assets".

Sarah tried not to shudder in revulsion as she felt James' eyes sweep over her. "James, you have got to do something. We're being forced to over hunt." She said to him.

However, James wasn't listening anymore. _"She's got those assets feminine."_ He thought to himself.

'You're the king. Control the hyena rogues." Sarah said to James.

_"I have to make her mine."_ James moved closer to the young woman.

"You're destroying the Labyrinth." Sarah informed James as he brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face.

_"Nobility in every gene."_

"If we don't stop now... Don't you see..." Sarah tried to back up but found that somehow she had been backed into a corner.

_"She has to be my queen"_

"...there's still a chance for things to be all right again..." Sarah said, voice trailing away as James loomed over her.

"_Come, sweet Sarah, It's written in the stars." _James sang to Sarah, running a hand down her bare arm.

"What are you doing? Are you listening to me?" Sarah yanked her arm out of James touch, as if burned.

_"We'll create a host of little James'"_ James cooed at her, grabbing her flailing arm.

"What are you talking about?" Sarah did not like the look in James' eyes.

_"Tell me I'm adored"_ James whispered in her ear, pulling her body up against his.

Sarah's eyes widened as she realized a little to late of James' intent.

"Get away from me!" She cried, struggling as Hoggle covered his eyes, not wanting to watch what happened next.

"_Tell me I'm adored"_ James crooned. Sarah reached up and raked her nails against James' face. He swore violently and pulled away long enough that Sarah darted around him and toward the door to freedom. The silence in the room was deafening. James pulled his hand away from his face to find it covered in blood and could feel the blood dripping from his face, onto the floor. _"Oh, Sarah... you know how I loathe violence... One way or another, you will be mine…"_ he hissed at Sarah, who had paused at the door to look back.

She started visibly and shot out the door slamming it, and her shouted answer could be heard resonating about the room and into the hall. "Never, James. Never!"

James grabbed a cloth and pressed in to his bleeding face. _"You belong to me! You all belong to me!"_He shouted to the ceiling, his insane laughter following Sarah at her heels, hurrying her footsteps as she slipped out of the castle and into the wild lands beyond the Labyrinth...

_To Be Continued…_

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Thought I would post a chapter as my Christmas present to you my faithful readers! Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you all!**

**-BeautyandYue**

* * *

One night, a few weeks later, after the James and Sarah incident after Sarah had run away, in the Land of Dreams, a huge flare shot into the sky and exploded in a blaze of bright blue and crimson over a large clearing.

Jareth lowered his gloved hand from where it had stretched skyward to send the magic firework into the sky. He put his hand back behind his head as Elwyn said in appreciation, "Whoa, nice one Jareth. You really are getting good at that magic stuff." Destry grunted in agreement. They all lay in the sweet smelling grass looking up at the night sky sparkling with stars. All three sighed in contentment. Each lost in his or her own thoughts.

"Elwyn?" Destry voiced a few minutes later, pulling the small elf out of a light doze.

"Hmm?" she mumbled opening a sleepy eye at her horsy counterpart.

"Ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?" Destry asked pointing a hoof at the sky.

Jareth smiled as he heard Elwyn snort and reply to Destry in her know it all voice. "I don't wonder Destry, I know." She stated.

"Oh." Destry said thinking then asked, "What are they?"

"There pixies. They're…uh…lightening pixies that got stuck up in that big bluish black thing." Elwyn said vaguely, waving her hand in the air.

"Oh, gee. I thought that they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away." Destry said after a moment of silence. Jareth knew that even though Destry was not the sharpest pin in the box, he was actually not too far off.

Elwyn levered herself up on an elbow. "Destry with you everything's gas." She complained giving the squat unicorn an exasperated look.

Destry turned his head to look at Jareth across from him. "Jareth, what do you think?" he asked wanting to know what his other best friend thought.

Jareth's smile vanished. "I don't know…" he began.

Destry prodded. "Aww come on Jareth, give give…we told you ours."

Elwyn joined in. "Yeah, give, give…."

Jareth sighed and relented. "Well, someone once told me that the great fae kings of the past are up there, watching over us."

"Really?" Destry asked either awed or suspicious, Jareth couldn't tell.

Elwyn looked at Jareth as if he had lost it. "You mean that a bunch of royal dead guys are watching us? Right now?" there was a moment of silence and then Elwyn could not help it. First a snort, then a cough, then she busted up in a fit of giggles, Destry joining in a minute later. Jareth tried laughing at it too, but unfortunately he was slightly hurt at his friends' disbelief. "Who told you something like that? What mook! See I made that up right now!" Elwyn rolled onto her back, clutching her aching sides as she laughed even harder.

Jareth replied, "Yeah, pretty dumb huh?"

"Jareth, you're killing me!" Elwyn busted out, laughing so hard she could almost not breath.

Jareth winced inwardly at her choice of words, listening to the others laugh, for another minute; he got up, and walked away into the trees surrounding the clearing. Elwyn and Destry immediately stopped and watched him go. "Was it something I said?" Elwyn asked mystified. Destry shrugged his shoulders in confusion.

Jareth walked and walked, until he got to a small ledge overhang, covered in blooming wildflowers. He looked up at the sky and with a great sigh, flopped onto his back amongst the flowers, sending up a great cloud of dust, petals, and pollen, along with a few strands of Jareth's hair. Lost in his own thoughts, Jareth did not notice the cloud being carried along the night wind until it was out of sight.

* * *

The wind carried the petal cloud across the Desert of Despair and into the desolate land, which once was the mighty Labyrinth kingdom. As it passed by the castle, an old man, stood silently on the roof of the highest tower in the castle, holding onto the lightening rod that protruded from the roof of said tower, he looked longingly into the distance. With great quickness, far quicker than one his age, he snatched a handful of petals, hair, milkweed floss, and pollen out of the air. Opening his hand, the elderly man looked curiously at his meager sample; slightly squinting at the mixture, his bright blue eyes widened. Carefully placing his prize into a leather pouch at his side, the old man took a running start and leaped off the roof, right into the open air. Seconds later, a bright yellow finch shook off gold glitter, quickly zooming through a window in the tower, three stories down. The old man then reappeared in a flash of the same gold glitter. He quickly brushed off the glitter on his black tunic and breeches, forever mourning for the friend he had lost, grabbing a hollowed out gourd; he took the petal mishmash and tossed it into the gourd along with a drizzle of oil and swished it around before setting it down and staring at it thoughtfully. Whatever had been puzzling the man, something clicked and he grabbed the gourd, looked at it very closely, then swung his head around suddenly to look intently at a clay bust of a young boy of seven, but the face was smudged so badly that all that could be seen was the eyes staring into space. It was as if the artist had stopped right in the middle of making the bust and had run their fingers across the face in despair.

"Jareth? He-he's alive?" the old man whispered, he raced over to the bust and picking up some clay next to the statue, proceeded to fix the damage caused to the image's face. "He-he's alive!" the man yelled placing clay in various spots, the truth starting to sink in. he laughed ecstatically, if a little hysterically, as he made the face a little older. Finally, the man pulled away, and the face of adult Jareth stared back at the man, where the young Jareth face had been only minutes before. Looking over his work with pride, the man with a satisfied smile on his face, said, "It is time!"

* * *

Elwyn and Destry strolled through the forest one day. They had been hunting more by themselves lately, as Jareth tended to go off by himself more often to be by himself. This was one of these days and while they were not really hunting anything in particular, the pair was on the look out for any tasty bug or fruit that would happen to cross their path. "So now because of that night, Jareth has taken up to getting up before us, going off to who knows where, and not coming back until late at night. I tell ya Destry, something is up with our buddy and if we don't find out what it is, well, I don't want to think about the consequences." Elwyn said to Destry, who followed behind the elf and nodded emphatically. Elwyn rattled on and on about the moodiness of Jareth and everything else while Destry followed faithfully along, but suddenly a big blue sweet beetle crossed paths with Destry. His eyes lit up and swerving, Destry proceeded to follow the bug instead of Elwyn. Elwyn turned around after getting no answer to her last complaint and found to be all by herself. "Well dang!" she exclaimed putting hands on hips. "Is everybody gonna run off on me now?"

* * *

Destry followed the bug through the underbrush and into a part of the Land of Dreams that was being plagued hard with a drought that was making its way through the land of the Labyrinth. The source of the drought came from the main city where the Labyrinth castle resided. There was no breeze to move the dry, brown grass that contrasted with the gray overcast of the sky. Destry spooked a little after he climbed over a fallen log, heard a rustle behind him. "Elwyn?" he called, but after getting no response and seeing that he was alone, Destry went after the bug again. Anonymous to the unicorn was that he was not alone. In the tall grass, a beautiful snow leopard with piercing green eyes stalked the unknowing unicorn. However, as the leopard crouched into position, the unicorn somehow had a sixth sense. With a terrified yell, spotting the leopard, he turned tail, and ran back into the forest. With a snarl claws extended the leopard took off, cover blown.

"Destry! Destry!" Elwyn yelled hearing Destry's terrified screech.

Someone else, in another part of the forest, heard the yelling and broke into a run toward the commotion.

Elwyn found Destry stuck underneath a large raised tree root. "Destry, what's going on?" Elwyn asked the scared horse.

Eyes wide, Destry yelled hysterically, "SHE"S GONNA EAT ME!"

"Huh?" Elwyn asked peering over the root. She saw a snow leopard bounding through the brush, getting closer and closer. "Whoa!" Elwyn cried running around to push on Destry's behind trying frantically to get him unstuck. "Jeez! Why do I always have to save your AAAAA!" she shrieked, pressing against Destry as the leopard jumped at the two, claws extended.

A blast of magic knocked the attacking animal over. A man with teased blonde hair, dressed in black from head to toe, hurtled over the tree root, gloved hands shining with white sparkling magic. The leopard stopped short, but Jareth took advantage of the uncharacteristic stop of the animal, and tackled it to the ground. It snarled fiercely, man and beast rolling repeatedly on the ground. The leopard morphed into a young woman with long dark hair. Jareth kicked her off him and shot beams of white magic at her. She retaliated with sparkling blue beams of her own.

Elwyn sat on the root that trapped Destry beneath and patted him on the head "Don't worry, buddy. I'm here for ya. Every thing's gonna be okay." She told him reassuringly. Cheering Jareth on Elwyn called out "Get her! Go for the jugular! The jugular!" Elwyn pointed a thumb at Jareth and said to Destry, "See I told you, he'd come in handy one day!"

While this was going on, Jareth and the woman battled relentlessly. A flash of blue temporarily blinded the woman and Jareth, pressing the advantage, came at her to finish her off. Nevertheless, the woman, even though she was blinking the spots out of her eyes, heard Jareth come at her, and ducking quickly, she swept Jareth's feet out from under him. The air exploded from his lungs in a rush, his back connecting with the hard packed ground; the woman straddled Jareth quickly, effectively pinning his arms to his sides, raised hand a sparkling blue to finish Jareth off. The light from the magic illuminated the woman's face in the fading sunlight.

Jareth's eyes widened as he panted, remembering a little girl from long ago, pulling the exact same move. "Sarah?" he whispered in disbelief, yet hoping e with all his heart.

The woman looked at the disheveled man beneath her, and seeing something strange in his face, quickly bounded off him and several feet away. Jareth took a good look at the woman brushing stray strands of dark hair that had come out of her long braid behind her ear. Sarah had grown into a beautiful woman. With long dark hair the color of mahogany, braided down her back, and eyes the color of the finest emeralds in all of the Labyrinth Kingdom; dressed in a sleeveless black tunic that came down to her hips with slight slits in the sides. A light pink, leather hunting skirt with one long slit up the side, showing black leggings and gray knee high boots completed the outfit, and Jareth never wished for anything more than to sweep her into his arms. "Who are you?" she questioned, eyes wary.

Jareth got up slowly, to not frighten her; he stared back at her while he brushed dust and dirt from his clothes. "It's me, Jareth." He said coming towards her a little.

"Jareth?" Sarah repeated in disbelief. She took a good hard look at the man in front of her. He was tall and slender, with layered hair like spun gold in the setting sun, and dressed in black from head to toe complete with black leather gloves, but it was his eyes, oh how she had missed those mismatched eyes, now staring intensely at her, a strange emotion burning like fire in those same eyes.

Letting out a shriek of pure joy, Sarah lunged at Jareth. He opened his arms and Sarah flew into them. Spinning Sarah around, Jareth laughed joyfully as well. Jareth placed her feet back on the ground but Sarah refused to let go, face buried in his tunic, he could make out slight sniffles. "Sarah?" he questioned, looking worriedly down. Sarah shook her head and Jareth kissed the top of her hair lightly, knowing that Sarah needed time to gather herself.

Elwyn and Destry, forgotten in the midst of everything, stood to one side. Elwyn's mouth hung open. Shutting it quickly, she stalked over to the pair. Hands on hips, and not a little jealously Elwyn said, "Hey, what's gonin' on here?" Jareth and Sarah were oblivious to the little elf. Sarah lifted her head from Jareth's chest and Jareth asked, "What are you doing here?"

Sarah shook her head in shock, "What do you mean, 'What am I doing here?' what are you doing here?"

Elwyn scowled at Sarah, not happy that the young fae woman was still not letting go of Jareth. "HEY! WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE!" she hollered finally getting the couple's attention.

Blushing madly, Sarah and Jareth jumped back from each other like they were hot coals. "Much better." Elwyn muttered.

Jareth waved at Sarah, "Elwyn, this is Sarah. She's my best friend!" he exclaimed, a smile spreading over his face.

Elwyn looked a little confused and hurt. "Friend?!"

Jareth nodded. "Yeah, Destry, come over here!" he called to the unicorn. When Destry trotted up to the growing group, Jareth said, "Destry, this is Sarah. Sarah, Destry."

Destry bowed slightly to her, "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Sarah smiled at the squat unicorn "The pleasure's all mine."

Elwyn, caught up in the names exchanged turned toward Sarah "How do you do…" then catching herself, Elwyn waved her hands franticly. " Whoa! Whoa! Time out! Lemme get this straight." She rubbed her forehead tiredly. "You know her. She knows you. But she wants to eat him." Elwyn pointed at Destry. "And everybody's…okay with this…? DID I MISS SOMETHING!" Elwyn exploded, jumping up in anger.

Jareth placed a hand on Elwyn's shoulder. "Relax, Elwyn." He said.

Sarah, looking at Jareth asked, "Wait until everybody hears you've been here all this time." Then she had a thought, excitedly Sarah asked, "And your mother, what will she think?"

Jareth, misunderstanding Sarah's intended question, hearing all to clearly another voice condemn coolly, "What will your mother think?" shook his head slightly. "She doesn't need to know. Nobody needs to know. He said hoping to put off Sarah.

Sarah was surprised. "Well of course they do. Everyone thinks you're dead."

Jareth replied, "They do?" he thought that James had told everyone that he had run away. However, he thought no wanted him to come back after what he had done to his dad.

"Yeah, James told us about the stampede." Sarah said sadly, face downcast but then it brightened considerably. Jareth looked at her a little warily, knowing what was coming next. "What does it matter? You're alive…and that means you're the king!" she exclaimed throwing her arms around Jareth's neck.

Elwyn snorted in laughter. "King?" she questioned in a disbelieving voice. "Lady, have you got your Faes' crossed."

Destry's eyes grew large and shining. "King? Your majesty! I gravel at your feet!" he began to bow awkwardly.

Jareth moved away and forcibly removing Sarah's arms from around his neck "Stop it." he cautioned, slightly irritated.

Elwyn stopped Destry from making himself more of a fool. "It's 'grovel' not 'gravel' and stop it, he's not the king." She hesitated, thinking about it a minute. Turning Elwyn asked, "Are ya?"

Jareth shook his head more forcefully this time and moved away, crossing his arms. "No." he stated, voice hard.

Sarah looked from the elf and unicorn to the Fae that had been her best friend up until she had been told he had died; now she finds him alive and well. Now he wanted no part of his kingship. "Jareth?" She asked softly.

Jareth sighed and turned to look back at the group. "No, I'm not the king." He sighed again, placing a hand on his hip, and the other to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Maybe I was gonna be…" he trailed off looking into the distance, his hand dropping from his face. " But…that was a long time ago." Elwyn was incredulous. "Let me get this straight, you're THE king? King of all the Labyrinth, and you never told us?" she had the right to sound hurt.

Jareth spread his arms at Elwyn and Destry. "Look I'm still the same guy."

"But with power!" Elwyn exclaimed, thinking of all the things Jareth could do with that power.

Jareth groaned and placed a hand over his face, the other arm wrapping around his waist. Sarah could see Jareth was at his wits end with his friends. "Could…you guys excuse us for a few minutes?" she asked hesitantly.

Elwyn placed a hand on her hip and gave the Fae woman a look. "Hey, whatever you have to say, you can say in front of us. Right Jareth?"

Jareth lifted his head and gave Sarah a grateful look then looked at his two other friends, "Mmmmm, I think you guys better leave." He finally decided after a long moment.

Elwyn looked from Jareth to Sarah aghast, then resigned, seeing what was going on and she was unhappily powerless to try to stop it. "It starts. You think you know a guy…" Elwyn grumbled, giving Jareth a slightly dirty look, she turned around and stalked off.

Destry looked between the two and his retreating friend. "She'll get over it." he sighed mournfully then trotted off to join his ego-bruised friend.

Jareth waited until the pair was out of sight. Shaking his head ruefully, he turned to Sarah, a slight smile on his face. "Elwyn and Destry. You learn to love 'em" He said. His smile left his face, concern taking over, as Sarah stood there, head bowed, hands over her face. "What? What is it?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Sarah turned away a little pulling out of Jareth's touch. Dropping her hands, head tilted to one side, away from Jareth's searching eyes, she said quietly, "It's like you're back from the dead. You don't know what this will mean to everyone." Sarah turned back toward Jareth, face full of pained memories of growing up with out her friend at her side, arms around her waist hugging herself tightly.

"…What it means to me." She finished softly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Jareth, very sorry, he had put her through all that pain, placed his hand back on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay." He replied just as softly.

Sarah spun quickly, wrapping her arms around Jareth's waist, placing her head against his chest, Sarah said softly, "I've really MISSED you."

Jareth's arms had swung out at the unexpectedness of Sarah's bold move, but he smiled gently and lifting Sarah's head so he could look her in the eye said, "I've missed you too." He hugged her tightly, Sarah squeaking lightly at the unexpected movement, burying her head into Jareth's chest.

Jareth pulled a little ways away from Sarah. "Come on, there's so much I want to show you." He tugged on her hand and Sarah followed.

* * *

Elwyn and Destry watched from behind some bushes. Elwyn threw away the fruit she had been munching on in frustration as she watched Jareth tug on Sarah's hand and lead her off somewhere. "This stinks!" she exclaimed, slightly stung that Jareth would pick this new comer over her and even though Elwyn knew that nothing would ever come of her crush, she had done a lot of wishful thinking.  
Destry ducked his head at the flying fruit, knowing that Elwyn was a little jealous but she would get over soon, he hoped. "Oh, sorry." He mumbled.

Elwyn rolled her eyes. "Not you!" she exclaimed, Elwyn pointed at the departing pair. "Them! Him. Her. Alooooone."

Destry looked puzzled. "What's wrong with that?" he asked.

Elwyn slung an arm over Destry and led him out of the brush. _"__I can see what's happening." _

"What?" Destry asked.

"_And they don't have a clue" _Elwyn waved her arms up.

"Who?" Elwyn had really lost him this time.

"_They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line…Our trio's down to two."_ Elwyn held up two fingers.

"Oh." Destry got it. Suddenly sad he looked at Elwyn woefully.

"_The sweet caress of twilight_" Elwyn ran her hand down Destry's soft mane_. "There's magic everywhere." _She sang sarcastically. "_ And with all this romantic atmosphere. Disaster's in the air."_Elwyn crossed her arms and sat on the ground, sending up a puff of dust. Destry followed suit, only more slowly, ears drooped.

* * *

_Can you feel the love tonight?_

_The peace the evening brings_

_The world for once in perfect harmony_

_With all its living things_

Jareth led Sarah by the hand, through the land of Dreams to all his favorite places. They walked leisurely across a log over a small crystalline lake, going under the waterfall that tinkled musically into the water underneath them. Sarah ran her hand under the cool water. They stopped next at a small pond so Sarah could get a drink from the clear water. Jareth studied her intently as Sarah pulled her braid over her shoulder and began to unravel it.

_So many things to tell her_

_But how to make her see_

_The truth about my past, _

_Impossible!_

_She'd turn away from me_

Sarah watched Jareth through her veil of hair, wavy from the braid, combing through it she contemplated the young self-exiled prince, as he seemed to frown at himself and turn away from her.

_He's holding back, he's hiding_

_But what, I can't decide_

_Why won't he be the king I know he is?_

_The king I see inside?_

Jareth seemed to decide on something, and turning back around; he gave Sarah a smug smirk and strode past her into the brush. Sarah watched, wondering what he was going to do. She got her answer soon enough. About a minute later, Jareth came swinging past on a vine, she ducked and Jareth swung over her and over the middle of the pond. The vine gave way at Jareth's weight and he dropped into the water with a surprised yell, making the water ripple quickly. Sarah watched the surface of the water, frowning slightly as the bubbles of air moved from where Jareth had dropped, to the ledge she was now leaning over to look at the water. Sarah, realizing Jareth's intent, drew back hastily, but not quickly enough. Jareth burst from the water and wrapping a wet arm around her slim waist dragged the startled young woman into the water. Sarah broke the surface with a gasp and hauling herself back onto the ledge, chest heaving, water dripping from her clothes, and her wet hair glistening russet in the last rays of the sun as it slipped beneath the glittering sands of the Desert of Despair. Jareth, wet hair in his eyes, grinning stupidly, placed his hands on the ledge and began to haul himself back up. Sarah looked at the wet Fae, grinned smugly herself, and with one hand shoved Jareth back into the water with a splash.

_Can you feel the love tonight?_

_The peace the evening brings_

_The world, for once, in perfect harmony_

_With all its living things_

With a laugh, Sarah was up and running, Jareth hot on her heels. She and Jareth darted behind trees and waterfalls, the game 'catch me if you can'. Sarah rounded a tree to find Jareth on the other side. Shrieking in laughter, she spun around and took off, knowing that she would not be able to run from Jareth for long, as he knew the land better than she. Seeing a meadow and a grassy knoll beyond it, Sarah ran across it and began to scamper up the hill, giggling madly. Sarah was halfway up the hill by the time Jareth caught up to her. He grabbed a booted ankle and tugged slightly, making Sarah lose her grip and she slid into Jareth. Losing his balance at the sudden change in weight, Jareth slipped and he and Sarah tumbled to the bottom of the hill. Hitting the ledge that over looked the meadow filled with wild flowers, Jareth and Sarah tilted over and onto the meadow floor. Their landing stirred up flower petals and the lightening bugs that had come out as dusk began to gather. Jareth chuckled softly and propping himself up on his forearms, saw to his great surprise that he had actually pinned Sarah for the first time in his life.

_Can you feel the love tonight?_

_You needn't look too far_

_Stealing through the night's uncertainties_

_Love is where they are_

Sarah's hair was fanned out around her face like a halo and her eyes shown like emeralds filled with glittering stars. Sarah leaned up on her elbows and very tentatively, brushed Jareth's lips with hers, then pulled away, biting at her lips uncertainly.

_And if he feels the love tonight_

_In the way I do_

Jareth blinked in surprise and stared at Sarah, that strange emotion when he first saw her again, burned in his chest once again. Sarah smiled seductively and Jareth's face changed from surprise to comprehension. Sarah had let him pin her on purpose. He smiled slyly himself and bent down to claim Sarah's soft lips once more.

_It's enough for this restless wanderer_

_Just to be with you..._

Elwyn wiped a tear from her eye as Destry sniffled next to her. " _And if he falls in love tonight. It can be assumed"_

Elwyn hugged Destry tightly. "_His carefree days with us are history" _Destry sang brokenly, trying to hold it in.

Elwyn and Destry looked at each other and sang, _"In short, our pal is doomed."_

They burst into tears, clinging to each other.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *


End file.
